Broken drain cause of 80/94’s August closure

HAMMOND, Ind. – A broken drainage device might have contributed to the flooding and closure of a major road artery into and out of Chicago last month, a joint investigation by several agencies has revealed.\nThe device, known as a flapgate and located in a drainage pipe along Interstate 80/94, was not working properly during heavy rains, sending water back onto the highway, Dan Gardner, executive director of the Little Calumet River Basin Commission, told the Post-Tribune of Merrillville for a story Friday.\nThe flapgates are designed to close when water flows toward the highway.\nThe commission, the Indiana Department of Transportation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city of Hammond are jointly investigating why the highway, also known as the Borman Expressway, was forced to close almost entirely Aug. 24-26.\nAngie Fegaras, an INDOT spokeswoman, said the flapgate and other possible factors in the flooding remained under investigation.\nOfficials are also looking into a privately owned levee that broke nearby and a malfunctioning lift station in Hammond, Fegaras said.\n“All parties have come together to work as a team to further investigate the flooding, to establish future guidelines and to further investigate an alternative drainage system,” Fegaras said.\nImad Samara of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said dangerous accumulation of water on the highway receded once back-up gates were closed.\n“When we closed them,” Samara said, “things kind of got better.”\nNeither Gardner nor Fegaras could say which agency was responsible for maintaining the flapgate.\nGardner said the timing of the flood could turn out to be favorable if changes must be made to the highway’s drainage system.\nAnother contract is about to be awarded in the Army Corps’ Little Calumet River flood control project, Gardner said, and it will take place in the area where the flood occurred.\nIf a consensus can be reached on what caused the flood by the end of September, Gardner said, it might be possible to add the remedial work to the contract.\n“As early as Thanksgiving we could have repairs, remediation, being done,” Gardner said.