Project Ensures Floods Won't Leave Silver Meadows Residents Stranded

The village will undertake a $515,000 project starting in June to ensure residents in the Silver Meadows Subdivision aren’t left stranded during heavy summer rains.

Last July 22, flooding from powerful thunderstorms left residents in the Silver Meadows subdivision isolated. Floodwaters more than 1 1/2 feet deep left both subdivision access roads, Silver Meadows Drive and Maclynn Drive, submerged. For more than 24 hours residents couldn’t get to and from their homes, and emergency vehicles couldn’t reach their homes.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing the village can do to alleviate flooding in the subdivision. The subdivision was actually built in a floodplain decades ago. However in January, the village approved a construction project to at least ensure access to homes in the event of a heavy rainfall.

After meeting with residents in the subdivision, village staff placed the project in the 2011 Capital Budget to address the situation.

Crews are expected to begin working June 5 to raise Silver Spring Meadows Drive by approximately one foot to ensure water flows under the road in the event of heavy rains. The estimated completion date is the end of August 2012.

The raised road will be a Conspan bridge, and two box culverts will be dug to allow water to pass under the road. The culverts on Maclynn Drive will also be evaluated to determine whether they need to be upsized.