by Ridgefielder
HBLR wrote:Are there any plans to check the line for future such problem spots? I know this kind of weather is not frequent, but it could happen again at a different location if the embankment is so massive through a flood plain.It's not really a flood plain through there. There's a hill on one side and a swamp on the other, but no nearby river or brook that routinely overflows. My guess is that the washout was mostly caused by 4" of rain falling on frozen ground and 1.5' of icy snow-- conditions like that can create significant watercourses in places where they have never existed before and will likely never exist again: as I found out once in college when I got knocked off my footing and carried several yards by a 18" deep, 10' wide brook that appeared in the middle of a snow-covered soccer field during a rain storm.
FWIW most actual flood-prone areas along the Danbury were identified and dealt with after '55.