COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Transportation crews in Cobb County spent the day on Thursday, cleaning out drains ahead of what is expected to be a stormy Friday.
Cobb DOT officials showed Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell the equipment being used to make sure metro roads and yards don’t flood from any possible heavy rain.
Newell met up with COBB DOT senior maintenance supervisor Joshua Elsberry and other DOT workers as they were clearing out drains along Old Paper Mill Drive on Thursday.
The specially equipped truck they were using, “essentially vacuums up the debris and the water as they work,” Elsberry said.
It was just one stop among many the DOT crews were expected to make Thursday.
“How much time are you spending at each location?” Newell asked Elsberry.
“The time at each location really varies,” Elsberry said. “They’ll spend anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half.”
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Along Old Paper Mill Drive crews cleared out two to three and a half feet of debris in the bottom of a catch basin.
“It was restricting the flow of water a little bit, but now … the entire pipe is exposed,” Elsberry said.
The goal is to prevent flooding as storms roll through.
“In the event we get more rain tomorrow, the water can flow freely out and drain off the road the way it should,” Elsberry said.
Extra crews are ready to respond to what Mother Nature brings.
“We’re hoping that the worst of the storm comes through in the day while we have all of our employees,” Elsberry said. “We have six extra people on standby and three regular on-call guys, and of course, two guys for the vac truck.”
Crews are spending most of their time in the southern part of Cobb County unclogging drains. They’ll finish the rest of the work orders on their list, early Friday.
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