Here's a report from the roads after an early a.m. commute:
May Day! May Day!
Actually I could have used that call last night for the ride home, which was, in a word, a nightmare.
All I could think of as I was diverted no less than three times by rampaging streams and creeks that had overflowed their banks was, "Hey, it could be worse. This could be snow."
The reality is that last night's commute was probably worse than anything I encountered during our brutal winter.
The good news is that most of that water seems to have receded this morning. I did not hit any detours on my trek into Delco. West Chester Pike, Providence Road, the Route 1 Bypass, Springfield Road and Baltimore Pike all were open and passable, but still wet.
Last night I made it out of Delaware County easily enough, casually averting the standing water and ponding dotting the roads, but once I got close to home in Chester County is when the problems started.
I had an inkling of what awaited me in calls from my wife, who alerted me that most of Downingtown was under water. That's not terribly unusual, it happens every time there is a heavy rain.
What I was not prepared for was Route 322 being closed before I ever got to town.
The Brandywine was raging across the road, turning what is usually the main corridor between Downingtown and West Chester into a hellish, watery, thrill ride.
I went past the house where an old friend and former co-worker once lived, which basically was sitting in the middle of the relocated Brandywine.
I finally made it home, only to discover a roof leak.
As you can expect, most of the normal problem areas in Delaware County are holding true to form this morning. MacDade Boulevard in Collingdale, Chester Creek in Chester, and the Brandywine out in Chadds Ford are flooded. Route 1 is closed from Creek Road to Route 202 for those who use that as route into Delco every day.
One final reminder: All that rain has unfurled a new series of potholes. I hit one on Springfield Road just after turning onto it from Route 1 that loosened a few fillings. I waited for that ugly pull on the wheel, a sure sign of a blown tire. So far it's holding up.
The winter of our discontent has turned into a soggy spring.
Summer must be out there somewhere.
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