Maryland

Floodwaters Collapse, Cover Roads in Maryland

Floodwaters washed away a portion of a Laurel, Maryland, road, shutting down the road to drivers. 

The rising Little Patuxent River caused part of Route 198 near Bald Eagle Drive to  collapse. Video from the scene showed pieces of the pavement falling into the churning, murky tributary below, leaving a 10-foot wide crater. 

"The east approach of our bridge has washed away completely," said Charlie Gischlar, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Transportation.

Gischlar said the break will force 20,000 to 30,000 drivers to reconfigure their routes, possibly for a few weeks.

In Upper Marlboro, Water Street is under water — a big inconvenience for people trying to get to the county courthouse. People going to court usually ride a shuttle from the Prince George's Equestrian Center across water street or they walk over a bridge, but both options are flooded out.

In Fort Washington, floodwaters threatened the historic St. John's Episcopal Church.

The flooding also closed US-50 between Kenilworth Avenue and Columbia Park Road in Cheverly, Maryland, for a few hours Sunday night.

Heavy rain fell across the D.C. area for much of Sunday, leaving some area roads flooding. Schools in Page and Stafford counties in Virginia were closed Monday because of impassable roads. 

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