Pouring Rain & Potholes Plaguing Streets Of Opa-Locka
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
OPA-LOCKA (CBSMiami) – Two days of torrential downpours flooded parts of Opa-locka beyond belief.
Driving on NW 147th Street at 25th Avenue is, to say the least, very frustrating for people who have to do it every day.
"As you're driving, there's about two potholes about a foot deep, 10 feet wide," said Andres Carpenter, who works at Concept Boats. "If you hit those pothole, you're getting your engine flooded or your tires popped. And as of right now my feet are getting soaked."
The folks at Concept Boats said the flooding's been going on for 13 years, leaving cars and people stranded.
Carpenter said after it rains the water floods the entire parking lot, and then just sits stagnant sometimes for weeks. He pointed out algae floating around the parking lot. It makes it difficult for customers or anyone to pull in and walk to the door.
"We haven't gotten our mail in the past week because the post office doesn't allow the trucks to come through and deliver the mail because of the rain," Carpenter said. "We had one of our post office guys actually get stuck last week."
A city worker passed by to put cones around one of the potholes after CBS4 News began asking questions.
CBS4's Ted Scouten spoke to Vice Mayor Joseph Kelley. He said the drainage project is a top priority. It's in the city's proposed budget that must be approved by the state who's overseeing the city's finances.
"The infrastructure just never was put in. There's roads there but there was no drainage put in, so there's nowhere for the water to really go.
