ADOT official says pumps were operating during US 60 flooding in Mesa

MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- For the second time in less than a week, parts of the U.S. 60 flooded in Mesa. Last Wednesday, the road in both directions was shut down near Val Vista Drive. On Sunday night, drivers only had one lane to use to get around the flooding.

Our Arizona’s Family meteorologists say nearly 1 1/2 inches of rain fell in this part of the city Sunday night. That is a lot of rain coming down in a short amount of time.

For years, drainage pumps have been a problem along the freeway. However, the Arizona Department of Transportation says pumps near Val Vista Drive and Gilbert Road were fixed just a few days ago. “No matter how robust the system is sometimes nature is going to win that battle when you get a lot of rain in a short amount of time,” ADOT Spokesperson Doug Nick said.

Nick said the pumps were operating during the monsoon storms Sunday night. He says the flooding would have been much worse if the pumps failed. ADOT sent teams to the area on Monday to survey and look for debris that could have blocked drains or pumps. So far, they haven’t found any problems.

We also asked Nick if they plan to add more pumps or find other ways to drain water off the US 60 in Mesa. As of now, he said there are no plans for new projects in that part of the Valley.

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