FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Flooding challenged the pumps of downtown Fort Lauderdale’s main tunnel on Tuesday causing traffic delays and complications for drivers.
After a few days of rain during the King Tides, a pump malfunctioned forcing the Florida Department of Transportation to close the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel for about 10 hours.
Once crews repaired the pump and the water cleared, the FDOT reopened the highway tunnel, which is part of U.S. Route 1 and runs 14 feet under the water level of the New River and beneath Las Olas Boulevard.
Drivers used detour signs just like when the FDOT’s $28 million Henry E. Kinney Tunnel Rehabilitation and Tunnel Top Plaza Project forced a tunnel closure during July 18-22.