BRISTOL, Connecticut — An hour of dramatic rain brought the Pequabuck River over the Route 229 bridge, trapping three cars.
“We had to have fire personnel take them out of their cars. That’s never a good thing” Mayor Jeff Caggiano said.
Wednesday wasn’t the first time the intersection flooded at Route 72 in Bristol.
It’s a spot Public Works Director Ray Rogozinski monitors every time there’s significant rain.
Closing roads and diverting traffic from flooded areas was all hands on deck for 28 workers who were forced to close 7 roads Wednesday morning after flash floods overwhelmed sections of the city.
Hambler Olmino saw the dramatic rescues from his new restaurant, Hambler’s Pizza.
“A guy was telling me that he had water up to his chest,” Olmino said.
On July 17, more than 5 inches of rain washed away a portion of Route 229.
“A month later after we bought the business, they closed the road,” Hambler said. “For a new business, it’s a little difficult if we close down a day.”
But Wednesday, the city’s storm system worked as intended by midday and police reopened the road, allowing Hambler to open up.
“It’s a 20-minute event a lot of times and we’re asking for patience from people. They shouldn’t try to drive through these,” Mayor Caggiano said.
Flooding closed Route 10 in Farmington and Johnson Avenue in Plainville where signs urged rivers not to take chances but some motorists took a risk anyway.
Crews also worked to clear debris from storm drains and urged residents to clear drains in front of their homes and call public works crews if it’s too much.
“Try to monitor them and make sure the storm drainage is clear so at least it’s taking as much water as it can,” Public Works Director Ray Rogozinski said.
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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