Rain washes out roads in Eastern El Paso County
Rain and runoff washed out roads and made others almost impassable for drivers on Wednesday.
Ellicott School District was closed for the day. Roads were washed out or impassable so buses couldn’t get to students along school routes. Thursday is the school district’s last day and its superintendent is hopeful that school will be in session on the closing day.
Water flowing in Squirrel Creek sent six culverts downstream and washed out Jones road. The road was blocked off from drivers like Ryan Doyle, who was trying to use the route to get to work.
“I was like ‘What the heck?’ We need to get (my brother) John’s canoe and start canoeing down this sucker,” said Doyle.
He said the washout happened late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Water flowing along the bottom of the hole where the road once stood is a strange sight.
“Normally this creek is completely dry,” said Doyle.
He said his jaw dropped when he saw the water had pushed the massive metal culverts, some more than 75 feet long, downstream.
“Considering the size of them, it would take a massive force to be able to move those things,” said Doyle.
Garrett Road is closed near the intersection of J D Johnson Road. Water over-topped the road during this recent round of storms because culverts under the street were overwhelmed. Water took out chunks of the road but work is being done to patch it up.
“I used to think it was a little joke because on Garrett Road there is a sign that says watch for high water and we were like, ‘What? Really? It’s a desert! And now I see what they mean now,” said Carole Doyle, Ryan Doyle’s mother.
Overflowing water from Garrett Road has caused problems downstream on the Doyle’s street, Coyote Lane. Water washed out a culvert, making it impossible for cars to drive through. A culvert has since been installed, but the road is still weak.
“The cars aren’t able to go over. We have people who have medical issues, we all have jobs we need to get to and it’s just been unbelievable,” said Carole Doyle.
It’s a private road so the neighborhood must pull together several thousand dollars to buy a culvert and mend the road.
“Most of us just don’t have that kind of money,” said Carole Doyle.
There are detours for both Garrett and Jones roads. The best option is J D Johnson Road.
