After up to 6 to 8 inches of rain from the remnants of Ida fell across parts of the Philadelphia region Wednesday, major flooding closed some of the city’s major roadways as the water rushed from the Schuylkill River.
In Philadelphia, the Vine Street Expressway (I-676), Schuylkill Expressway (I-76), MLK Drive and Kelly Drive were closed Thursday morning as water took over the roadways. Boathouse Row was inundated with water.
Water from the Schuylkill River flowed onto the Vine Street Expressway, turning it into a river of water that cut Center City in half from 22nd Street to Broad Street.
The Schuylkill River overflowed Thursday morning, flooding water onto Philadelphia’s Vine Street Expressway. The roadway looked more like a river as water reached almost as high as the overpasses. NBC10’s Mitch Blacher reports from SkyForce10.
Cars and trucks were going through the flooded Schuylkill Expressway near 30th Street during the Thursday morning commute before PennDOT shut down the roadway at 30th Street and ramps back to City Avenue around 6:40 a.m. Floodwater swamped the roadway under 30th Street through much of the morning.
By 6 a.m. the water level along the Schuylkill near 30th Street Station was already at near 16 feet, well above the major flood level of 14 feet.
A failing pump station near 22nd Street and I-676 was failing, leading to more flooding, PennDOT spokesman Brad Rudolph said.
There was no timetable for when the roads will reopen.
Philadelphia urged people to stay home and avoid the roadways.
People along low-lying areas up the river in Manayunk were urged to stay put on higher ground as the water rises. Debris could be seen flowing along flooded Main Street.
Roads off Kelly Drive in East Falls were also closed.
NBc10’s Randy Gyllenhaal shows you the flooding in Manayunk as Mitch Blacher in SkyForce10 shows you East Falls as the Schuylkill River floods roadways Thursday morning.
The Schuylkill River Trail was entirely underwater, SkyForce10 captured a person who was holding onto a pylon being rescued.
The Fairmount Water Works near the Philadelphia Museum of Art was underwater at daybreak, no sign of the normal dam you see at that point.
The Philadelphia School District delayed opening for two hours for schools that open at 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. They also closed the James Dobson Elementary School and Albert M. Greenfield School due to power outage issues.
Philadelphia libraries and government buildings were closed Thursday. The Streets Department was attempting to still collect trash and recycling in areas where flooding isn’t occurring.
Public transit was also impacted: “Service is operating with delays and cancellations due to residual effects from Tropical Storm Ida,” SEPTA said.
SEPTA has all the Regional Rail and bus lines affected listed on its website.
The worst of the flooding was expected as the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia crested around 9 a.m. By 10:35 the water was still above 16 feet, falling short of the 17-foot record, but still very significant, according to the National Weather Service.
The best bet is to avoid driving anywhere if you don’t need to as other roads near the river are also flooded.
The American Red Cross has set up emergency shelters at West Philadelphia High School and Roxborough High School in the city.