Flooding on I-95 in Norwalk forced part of the highway to shut down for over an hour and backed up traffic for miles Tuesday afternoon. It happened at Exit 16 after heavy rain came down starting around 2 p.m. Water covered the interstate, causing Connecticut state police to close the southbound side and all lanes but one on the northbound side. Plenty of drivers drove through before police arrived, including one who broke down in the flooding.

“It's a low-lying area with some poor drainage,” explained Josh Morgan, spokesperson for the Connecticut Dept. of Transportation, adding that flooding is often a problem there when we get a lot of rain in a short period of time. “There is an active construction project there. It's about another year away from being completed, but that's going to alleviate some of these historical flooding issues we have.”

Morgan said the project—which will also make the shoulders wider and improve the median are—includes a focus on the drainage.

“Larger drainage pipes, fixing the flow through that area,” Morgan told News 12. “It's just inadequate with the amount of rain we're getting. These weather events are becoming more frequent and more extreme than they were maybe 50, 60 years ago when these roadways were being constructed.”

Police reopened all lanes on I-95 just before 3:30 pm.