Following incidents of precipitous neighborhood flooding during extreme high tides, a temporary pumping station installed this week at the state project underway to replace the Sybil Creek Bridge on Route 146 appears to be keeping most of the waters away from areas impacted in recent weeks. In posts at The Sound's Facebook page, residents are reporting that the pump appears to be assisting, allowing waterlogged yards to dry up and keeping streets from being covered with several inches of water.

The flooding which was being experienced by residents in the Waverly Park Road area of Branford's Indian Neck area was being exacerbated by the upstream state construction project. The bridge replacement work, which got underway  in early September, includes the replacement of a tide gate beneath the bridge.

The worst of the waters appeared to hit on Saturday, Oct. 16, when resident Laura Noe sent photos to Zip06/The Sound of what she described as the most flooding the area had experienced to date. The photos showed flooded streets at Crouch Road at Waverly Park Road; and water also flooding yards of some homes beside the creek. Noe said the flooding had been getting "progressively worse" over the past four weeks. She and other residents of the area were also concerned about potential damage to their vehicles caused by having to drive through the brackish water to get out of their neighborhood.

Town Engineer John Hoefferle was also in contact with residents and confirmed for Zip06/The Sound that the flooding appeared to be the result of the current CT Department of Transportation (DOT) project work underway on the Sybil Creek Bridge, coupled with extremely high tides; and that the water flooding the town roads and residents' yards had a "direct correlation with the water levels in the creek upstream of the DOT project."

Additionally, Hoefferle had noted, "...my office, the First Selectman, our state representatives and others have been in regular contact with the DOT regarding the flooding, pressing for a solution so the residents can dry out." 

Shortly after the extreme flooding event of Oct. 16, workers at the project set up a temporary pumping station on the side of the bridge where water flows toward Waverly Park Road.

Zip06/The Sound continues to await a response to a request for any project updates from CT DOT, which will be shared as an update to this story when received.