Queens Drive reopened this morning following flooding under the rail bridge
Motorists have been warned they might not have seen the end of flooding on Queens Drive, as a troubled stretch of the road in Mossley Hill reopened today. Queens Drive was shut for the last five weeks – the second time it has been closed in a year since the death of a couple in their car.
Elaine and Philip Marco, aged 75 and 77, died after their car became submerged in flood water on August 26, last year. The road was shut for months following the incident under a railway bridge, and reopened in February earlier this year following remediation work. The road was then closed on July 10, when the area under the bridge between Dovedale Road and North Mossley Hill Road flooded once again. Since then, United Utilities has been working with Liverpool City Council to investigate the causes of the flooding.
Experts have taken core samples from beneath the carriageway and installed monitoring equipment to assess the impact of groundwater, and that work will continue until the autumn. United Utilities has completed repairs to the carriageway and pavement and it was reopened this morning (Monday, August 19).
Local councillor and Lord Mayor Cllr Richard Kemp attended the reopening this morning, but warned motorists that this might not be the end of the problem. He urged people to “think safely” when it rains in the area.
Cllr Kemp said: “What has been happening since the last deluge is yet another investigation into what is going on under the ground under the two bridges. The problem is this whole area was created when there was a totally different type of pattern and what happened six weeks ago is the same as what happened last August when the Marcos tragically lost their lives in an absolutely torrential downpour which the systems can’t cope with.
“The council has checked all its systems are working, and what we’re not sure about is what is happening underground. So they can understand where the water is coming from and where it’s going to. The bad news is that this might not be the end of the matter.
“But just looking at it you can see how difficult it is to deal with the problem here. That is the West Coast Mainline (on the bridge), to build a new bridge it would not only impact the environment it would also mean closing Lime Street for 18 months for most routes and that is not a viable option. So, really we’re going to have to see what happens now and to make sure there is absolute safety here the council have improved protocols. Warning lights will come on to try and stop people coming in.
“The bad news is that we think flooding at a high level is almost unstoppable unless we find something under the ground. I would say if it’s raining, always think carefully and safely about coming down Queens Drive, try and find another route.”