Coastal flooding disrupts traffic, forces some downtown Annapolis businesses to close

City Dock in downtown Annapolis was underwater again Thursday morning after heavy rain dumped across Maryland. 

Flooded roads disrupted traffic, halted deliveries, and forced a number of businesses to either close for the day or open late.

Heavy flooding at City Dock

The flooding on Thursday morning was about as bad as it gets in downtown Annapolis.

Water got all the way up to the traffic circle at City Dock, and it took hours to recede.

Heavy rain and coastal flooding pushed water levels to more than four feet above the normal low tide level, one of the highest readings Annapolis had seen this year.

City Dock disappeared underwater, and cars left parked overnight at City Dock were swamped.

"I'm sure the guy with the pickup truck over there isn't thrilled, but hopefully he has insurance," said Chris Colbert, who visited Annapolis from the Eastern Shore.

Access to Eastport was cut off when Compromise Street flooded.

"We were expecting it to be anywhere around the four-foot mark, which is catastrophic for many of these businesses downtown, and a closure of one of our main arteries, which is Compromise Street," Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley said.

Long-term flood solutions in the works

Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley said the city has short-term fixes, including temporary pumps in the storm drains, while they work toward a permanent solution.

"We have a long-term plan to raise the City Dock and build to eight feet," Buckley said. "That raised area will be a park, but it will also stop flooding. In the short term, we initiated sump pumps, and those sump pumps work as long as it's below four feet."

Buckley said Thursday's water rushed in too fast and too high for the sump pumps to work.

"Today, we were ready for this, but you can only do so much," Buckley said. "You have to let Mother Nature do what it does, then you have to mop up afterward."

Annapolis visitors stopped by the floodwaters

Visitors who planned a day in Annapolis found themselves detouring.

"It was hard to park because of the flooding, and so we walked, I guess half a mile to get to the Naval Academy, but we were stopped by the water, so we couldn't get in," visitor Danielle Colbert said.

Others were just shocked by the water.

"I was expecting to be able to walk right down past Market House here, but obviously I can't do that," said Ellie Webber.