WEATHERLY, Pa. — Grist Mill Road in Lehigh Township outside Weatherly was closed as crews removed hundreds of pounds of rock and debris.
Six inches of rain fell in a matter of hours Sunday night. Storm drains were not enough to keep the water from overflowing and eroding the shoulder.
Some sections of the roadway would cave in if driven over, according to one township supervisor. He told Newswatch 16 that rainwater from about 30 acres of land drains through Grist Mill Road on its way to Buck Mountain Creek.
Mike Wanca lives around the corner. He said the roaring waters woke him up.
"I just had the window open while I was sleeping, and the creek was rising. I wanted to double-check," Wanca said. "I got up, and we had quite a bit of water coming down the creek and into the Lehigh."
When heavy rains come, Wanca said homeowners in the area are accustomed to flooded basements.
"This basement gets some flooding. We all get some flooding," he said. "There's water everywhere. It's not just down there or at the Lehigh; it's quite literally under your feet. There's water flowing underneath here, so it just depends on your location, and you like, and how you take care of the house, I guess."
Still, he's confident his property is in good shape.
"I don't worry about too much of like the ground giving way or the road washing out from the creek," Wanca said.
Grist Mill Road is expected to open Monday, but the township supervisor said there's still a lot of work to do to address structural concerns in the roadway.
The supervisor said the township is considering expanding the lanes around the turn on Grist Mill Road. The project would relocate a storm drain in the area to improve water flow into the creek and help prevent further damage to the roadway.