Interstate highways and neighborhoods were flooded in and around Detroit after dozens of water pumping stations failed as the area was hit with heavy rains Friday and Saturday, the Detroit News reports.

Portions of Interstates 75 and 94 were either closed, with traffic rerouted through detours, and in other areas, cars were limited to one or two lanes to get passed flooded roadways.  Davison Freeway, another major traffic artery, was also impacted by flooding on Saturday afternoon.

In all, 28 of the 140 pumping stations in the Detroit metropolitan area did not have power or were shut down by mechanical issues.  Another seven were impacted due to communications issues, although they were working for the time being.

The Detroit area was hit with about three inches of rain on Friday, with some neighborhoods getting six inches.  As in many metropolitan areas, runoff from paved streets and parking areas, as well as developments in outlying suburbs, cause massive runoff into low-lying areas downstream.

Michigan is also plagued by an outdated and failing infrastructure.  Half of the state’s 160 pumping stations were rated to be in “poor condition” during a 2019 assessment, slightly better than the 58% found to be in poor condition in 2016.  The state department of transportation has set a goal of having 90% of the pumping stations in “good condition” by 2035.

Detroit roads are particularly susceptible to because they were designed to be below grade, or “depressed,” meaning that they were built below the surrounding landscape.