High Waters, Culvert Failure Lead to Street Closure Near Drexel Avenue

The road is dry now, but barricades will stay until at least Wednesday after a culvert failed in a neighborhood near Drexel Avenue Sunday.

As rain fell throughout the day, part of the street in the 1100 block of W. Weatherly Drive caved in during the late afternoon, Street Superintendent Mike Lampe said, though he added it wasn't nearly as bad as the sinkhole in Milwaukee. 

The street was flooded Sunday night, and water was close to going over a bridge.

Water had receded by Monday afternoon, but with more rain in the forecast, Lampe said the street will not reopen until Wednesday at the earliest, and possibly Thursday.

Oak Creek could receive an additional one to two inches of rain in the next few days.

Lampe said that neighborhood, just south of Drexel Avenue near 10th Street, frequently has water problems, as it is one of the lowest-lying areas in the city. 

In general, Oak Creek has not experienced much flooding despite the melting snow, Lampe said.