DENVER — The City of Denver installed a new warning sensor at 38th Avenue near Interstate 25 to alert crews if the area begins to flood.
The road, which runs beneath multiple bridges, has been a known problem spot for road flooding for decades.
“What we have is a low spot that tends to flood when we get larger storm events,” DOTI Communications Director Nancy Kuhn said. “The existing, historic system here is undersized to handle the demand on it.”
During heavy rain events, cars frequently become stuck and even submerged under the overpass.
Kuhn says studies have shown a permanent stormwater fix could cost close to $100 million because crews would have to dig under I-25 to increase the size of the existing pipes.
This new sensor will trigger an alert within the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, which can dispatch law enforcement or city staff to close the road.
It’s the first time they’ve tested out a sensor like this, according to Kuhn.
“We can’t be everywhere all the time, so this will give us an alert that this area is filling up, that maybe we should drive over, take a look, and see if we need to close it to cars,” Kuhn said.
DOTI has also installed multiple signs at the intersection warning drivers of the potential for flooded roads.
Kuhn says they’re still experimenting with what levels to set the sensor at to make sure they aren’t closing the road unnecessarily or waiting too long to close it during dangerous situations.
She says the city could expand the technology to other problem spots if it proves to be successful this summer.
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