A motorist crosses through a foot of water flowing from Kaibab Lane onto Blackbird Roost Street. (Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)
FLAGSTAFF (NAZ Today)– Torrential rain caused flooding all along the Milton Road corridor in west Flagstaff Friday afternoon.
The Flagstaff Airport received nearly an inch and a quarter of rain in under an hour, with some estimating higher amounts here in town. The heaviest rain fell from around 2:45 until 3:45 pm. An Urban and Small Stream Flood Advisory was issued for the Flagstaff area, lasting until 4:15 pm.
All of the rain water collected into drainages and washes in neighborhoods in the area of Blackbird Roost, sending debris downstream towards Milton Road and Butler Avenue. The trash clogged a
Street crews work to clear a clogged culvert near Milton Road and Butler Avenue. (Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)
drainage culvert, causing water to overflow and flood the intersection along with a few blocks of both streets. The water backed up into several apartment complexes between Milton Road and Blackbird Roost. No word on if any of the apartments suffered any damage.
A local motel next to the drainage culvert suffered water damage after flood waters backed up into one of the motel’s buildings, destroying two guest rooms and damaging the laundry room and lobby living room.
Police detour traffic off of Milton as crews work to repair a pump at the railroad underpass. (Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)
Just north of Butler Avenue, a manhole cover popped off of a storm drain at the Milton railroad underpass, causing water to flow out of the drain. According to Mayor Sara Presler, the drainage pump lost power, causing the underpass to flood. Police and street workers had to close Milton and detour traffic around the closure. Presler says that crews will be working through the night to repair the drainage pump.
Traffic on Milton was backed up all the way to I-17, and traffic on Butler was backed up past Enterprise Avenue. Motorists tried to detour through the Northern Arizona University campus, which was also experiencing street flooding on San Francisco Street near the Wall Aquatic Center. Construction on San Francisco Street coupled with the detours backed up traffic onto all of the neighborhood streets between Milton and San Francisco Street, and between the railroad tracks and the NAU campus.
Several streets between the railroad tracks and Butler Avenue are closed tonight. Dupont Avenue is closed between Beaver and San Francisco Streets, and flood waters are still flowing across Leroux Street just north of Benton Avenue.
Water running down Blackbird Roost Street (Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)
A street worker goes to clear a clogged storm drain on Milton Road (Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)
Rain or shine, the mail must go through! (Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)
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