North Fulton County

With more rain ahead, another flooding mess for I-285?

A contractor’s mistake led to major flooding issues along I-285 in DeKalb County last month -- and drivers are worried it could happen again.

The flooding near Ashford Dunwoody Road in January shut down five of six lanes of the highway and forced cars to drive through high water.

Officials determined that construction workers had covered sewer drains with their equipment ahead of the downpour.

Now more heavy rain is on the way.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Nicole Carr talked to the Georgia Department of Transportation about whether drivers can expect another flooding mess this week.

GDOT spokeswoman Natalie Dale said crews have fixed the problem, but drivers are likely to still experience frustration this week.

“We did hold them accountable for that and said, ‘This is unacceptable as far as the job site goes,'" Dale said. "There has to be, especially in this rainy season, there has to be adequate drainage to prevent this type of flooding.”

Dale said still, some parts of the road could flood.

“When you’re talking about getting three or four weeks of rain in three or four hours, even the best pipes, even the best drainage structures, can get backed up because they just can’t handle that significant amount of water," Dale said.

GDOT crews have been clearing drainage systems of debris in a number of problem areas across the metro Wednesday in hopes there won’t be a repeat of last month.