Portion Of Vine Street Expressway Remains Closed As Effort To Pump Out Floodwater Continues
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Ida is long gone, but the devastation it left behind remains. On Friday morning in Center City, the work continued to drain water from the Vine Street Expressway.
There is significant progress being made Friday when it comes to the flooding on I-676. Crews have been working overnight to pump out the water so the road can reopen, but the highway remains inundated and the road is closed in its entirety westbound and closed between I-76 and Broad Street eastbound.
The water level has been shrinking at the Vine Street Expressway slowly since Thursday evening. But at the height of the flooding Thursday morning, the water was right under the 22nd Street overpass.
Prepare for a detour if your morning commute usually involves the Vine Street Expressway. This is what the road looks like this morning as crews continue to pump out floodwater. We're live in Center City with more on the clean-up effort. pic.twitter.com/4m0rcum8WV
— Jan Carabeo (@JanCarabeoCBS3) September 3, 2021
City officials say the flooding on the Vine Street Expressway is largely due to the failure of a major pumping station.
Officials also say storm debris from trees may have clogged some drains.
It was a recipe for disaster since this was historic flooding.
Meanwhile, in Manayunk, those who are life-long residents have never seen the Schuylkill River overflow its banks this extensively.
Main Street businesses that have never experienced flooding before were impacted. Dozens of cars were submerged.
The floodwater has receded significantly in Manayunk as of Friday morning. But the clean-up effort still has a long way to go.
Chris Meyers, of Pizzeria L'Angolo, told Eyewitness News it might be tough to open this weekend.
The historic flooding on the Vine St Expressway is still underway this morning. #CHOPPER3, photog @aerialnewsbert is live over the scene where all lanes remain CLOSED EB from I-76 to Broad, & WB from I-95 to I-76. Crews continue to drain the roadway. @CBSPhilly @TotalTrafficPHL pic.twitter.com/pUTZoHdEdU
— Jacqueline Jewell (@JJewellFox29) September 3, 2021
"No guarantees it's pretty bad we are going to try our best," Meyers said. "We are cleaning a lot of mud. No catfish, but a lot of mud."
"Everything, it was all water," Brian Domergue, a business owner, said. "Everything is, like, destroyed."
"We need help," Gwen McCauley, of the Manayunk Business Association said."We need help from the city to come out here."
Workers in Center City are continuing to work on getting Vine Street reopened, but detours in the area will be necessary, so try to find an alternative route on your morning commute.
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Get the latest on Ida's Aftermath on CBS3, CBSN Philly and CBSPhilly.com. Learn more on how to stream CBSN Philly, here.
You can also download the CBS Philly Weather App for the most up-to-date weather forecast and to receive severe weather alerts. The app is free on Apple and Android devices.