NEWS

from the Illinois Senate

State Senator Susan Garrett

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2007

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Susan Garrett (847) 433-2002

GARRETT AND IDOT TO ADDRESS CAUSES OF FLOODING
ON RT. 41 AT RT. 176

HIGHWOOD, Illinois – In the wake of last night’s severe thunderstorms with rains that flooded the Route 176 underpass on Route 41 in Lake Bluff, State Senator Susan Garrett (D - Lake Forest) is working with IDOT to address the recurrent problem at that location.

Back on March 21, after a heavy rain, the underpass flooded to a depth of more than eight feet, stranding motorists and closing the road for some 18 hours. At that time, IDOT engineers said that the flooding was caused by “debris and muck” getting caught in the drains.

Now, after the storms last night, there is more than four feet of water in the underpass, again causing closure of the northbound lanes and partial closure of the southbound lanes.

Senator Garrett has learned that the drainage issue may have been compounded by a malfunctioning pumping system. A pump adjacent to Route 41 just north of Route 176 is supposed to help keep the underpass from flooding. Reportedly, when the pump was tested after the last flood, there was only a trickle of water coming from the discharge pipe instead of the expected heavy flow.

Senator Garrett is meeting with IDOT officials to investigate this further in the hope of making any necessary repairs a priority.

Acting IDOT Secretary Milton Sees indicated that cleanup crews are on the scene to take whatever immediate measures can be taken. Sees further indicated that IDOT engineers will examine additional options that will address historic flooding issues at this location. “There may be issues with the pumps, outlet pipes, or intake locations that can be corrected in order to reduce or eliminate this problem. IDOT will begin an examination of this location immediately,” Sees said.

“Any time we get a heavy rain, a certain amount of standing water is to be expected,” said Garrett. “But a situation like the one we have seen at Routes 41 and 176 creates a travel nightmare for thousands of motorists and causes delays for commuters on the surface roads as well. We will be working to get to the root cause of the problem and try to prevent it from happening the next time it rains.”