GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — A long-awaited flooding solution is coming to a Gallatin veterans home that has struggled with water damage for years during heavy rainfall.
The American Legion Post 17 veterans home on South Water Avenue has repeatedly faced flooding issues when storm water pools behind the facility due to outdated drainage systems. Water has filled crawl spaces and sometimes entered the homes of the approximately 28 veterans who live in the converted motel.
"So with the flood water it would come down off bales avenue and out of that watershed but it would pond behind the veterans home due to inadequate storm drainage," said Jake Wilson, Gallatin's assistant city engineer.
A new $500,000 project funded by Sumner County will reroute runoff from Bales Street down Woods Ferry Road and into a city-owned retention pond designed to handle excess water.
"So what this will allow us to do is to capture that storm water and move it around the property so that way it doesn't just sit there and cause flood damage," Wilson said.
The project includes additional improvements beyond flood mitigation. Plans call for relocating the Woods Ferry and South Water intersection by creating an extension to Hale Avenue that crosses the existing Woods Ferry Road. This change will eliminate what officials describe as an awkward intersection.
For the veterans living in the facility, the improvements represent a fix that's long overdue after years of flooding concerns.
Construction bids open Friday, and the project could be completed by the end of the year. Drivers should expect some delays in the area once construction begins.
Have you experienced flooding issues in your neighborhood? Share your story and see how this Gallatin project might offer solutions for other communities facing similar challenges. Email kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com with your flooding concerns.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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