Severe downpours flooded south Main Street/Route 114 at the town border of Warren and Bristol at the most inopportune time, too, during the morning rush hour Thursday, May 15.

The location typically does not see waters rise to such and extent, however the tremendous amount of rain that fell in a short period of time could explain the situation.

An inquiry was been made to the Warren Department of Public Works by The Times-Gazette for further information.

Around mid-day, DPW Director Brian Wheeler responded, saying to begin, "What a hectic day."

He continued, "This type of flooding does happen from time to time on south Main Street and is generally caused by a capacity issue with the drainage pipes running on Main Street. At the Public Works building, our weather station says we received around 1.7 inches of rain in a very short period. That amount of water will cause havoc on the drainage system."

Wheeler noted as well it fortunate the rainstorm did not occur during a "king tide" or the flooding would have been much worse. King tides typically occur during the spring season and are exceptionally high compared to usual rises in local waters.

The director also said the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, which has oversight of Route 114 it being designated a state road, is also soon expected to refurbish that affected portion of Main Street.

"That will hopefully address some drainage issues, repaving, and sidewalk repairs. The town has regular conversations with RIDOT about this project to ensure we address these issues as best we can," he added.

As an aside, Wheeler said the recent utility work had no correlation to the flooding issue.