Repairs could begin by the end of the day on a popular North Texas road that's been closed for nearly six weeks.
Fairway Drive in Grapevine has been closed because this spring's historic floods has sent water gushing over the Lake Grapevine spillway, keeping the roadway underwater and seriously damaging the asphalt. The water is expected to stop going over the spillway in a matter of hours.
Thousands of drivers in cities like Lewisville, Flower Mound, and Grapevine depend on that road to get to work and have had to deal with alternate routes and congestion for nearly two months.
"This road was never intended to be a large thoroughfare. But unfortunately it’s inconveniencing a lot of the public with it being closed. We want it to be open in a timely manner but it needs to be safe," said James Murphy, with the Corps of Engineers.
Water is still pouring over the spillway but the Army Corps of Engineers says that could stop by the end of the day. Once the water stops going over the spillway, engineers will inspect the integrity of the road to make sure it's still safe.
"Getting this road re-opened is just a matter of manpower," Murphy said. "We’re going to evaluate the integrity of the structure itself to make sure there’s no defects."
Then city crews will put on fresh asphalt and install temporary barricades. The permanent guard rails were removed weeks ago, and eventually they'll need to be replaced.
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"As the water was rushing across the concrete the asphalt itself was being lifted by the force of the water," Murphy said.
The good news is that the process can start as soon as the water stops going over the spillway; but the repairs could take three weeks.
There is significant damage to the road. The high water has stripped away the asphalt and broke apart large chunks of the road.
