TULSA, Okla. — Crews in Wagner are working on a new stormwater system. City leaders and neighbors tell 2 News the current storm drains, which are more than 80 years old, get backed up causing flooding in the downtown area. Officials say the drainage system is not only outdated but it needs to be widened to be able to handle heavy rains, like they've had recently.
Ron, a wagoner resident, describes the flood water as deep and hazardous.
“it goes up to the doors, they put sandbags against the doors to keep the water out, it doesn’t,” Ron said.
The Boomerang diner on main street tells 2 news, they too have experienced the flooding first-hand. But now, the city is trying to change that.
“Every storm below 1-percent, is going to be conveyed and reduce the flooding,” floodplain administrator Bill Smith said.
Smith says the new storm drainage system is a part of a larger project called “streetscape.”
“Streetscape is going to be a beautification of the downtown area kind of like the Rose District in Broken Arrow.”
The Oklahoma Dept. of Transportation will also repave a one-mile stretch of road through the downtown area. But they need to finish the stormwater drainage system first. Crews have been working for the past 6 weeks, but heavy rains hitting the city this spring have cause problems.
“Everytime it rains it slows things down,” Smith said. “The streetscape project was supposed to start May 1st but it’s been delayed until June 1st, so we can get the work done underground.”
The project is costing the city about 4.5 million dollars through a loan from the Oklahoma Water Resource Board. They also received additional money through FEMA.
For Ron, it means safer roads during storms. But also says it’s taken the city too long.
“It’s great that it’s getting done but it’s been since I’ve been here. For 25 years it hasn’t been done.”
Smith says the project on Main street is expected to be complete in about 8 weeks.
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