Heavy rain caused flash flooding Monday morning along a major freeway in Dallas, halting traffic and causing lengthy delays.
Between 1.5″ and 4″ of rain fell in the metroplex during a three-hour period. Construction barriers along I-635 caused water to accumulate on the freeway, particularly in the westbound lanes between Mesquite and Dallas.
I-635 at Garland Road was completely shut down for some time after two vehicles became stranded in the roadway. Water levels reached as high as the windshields of the vehicles at one point, CBS News Texas reported.
By 9 a.m., the water had receded somewhat, and traffic was able to navigate along the far right lane. Construction crews were working to alleviate the standing water situation.
The flash flooding caused a traffic backup of about five miles and 1.5-hour delays on the westbound side of I-635.
Video of the flooded area posted by Chip Waggoner of Fox 4 KDFW shows two cars floating in the roadway as traffic passes by in the right lanes.
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Commuters are cautioned to avoid the area for the next several hours.
Flash flooding has been an ongoing problem for months along I-635 as construction continues, as NBC 5 DFW previously reported.
“Some work zones where there already are narrow lanes, the water might take a little more time to recede through that area,” said Kenna Mitchell, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Transportation, per NBC 5.
She said that littering has exacerbated the flooding problem.
“Our crews are having to go into some of these high-water areas and unclogging the drains and they’re pulling out a lot of litter. Some of that is just getting washed down different embankments, or perhaps it’s already along the roadways,” Mitchell said.
Polling shows that residents have been unhappy with “the amount of trash, litter, or junk” found in their neighborhoods and “elsewhere in the City of Dallas,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.