A popular cut-through street connecting the Ogden and Murrayville neighborhoods in northeastern New Hanover County has been washed out by flooding just two years after it collapsed after another big storm.
Dove Field Drive, which crosses the headwaters of Smith Creek, was overwashed and collapsed Friday when a strong storm moved through parts of the Wilmington area, dumping heavy rains and even hail on parts of the region.
According to the National Weather Service, Friday's powerful storms dropped 5.31 inches of rain on the Port City − a record for Aug. 21 in Wilmington.
Like the event in August 2024, Friday's deluge left pieces of Dove Field Drive in Smith Creek and trees blown over and lying in what remained of the washed-out culvert. Dirt and gravel
that has been added during the previous road repairs also had been washed away, with some visible on areas of the roadway that remained.
Signs and warning tape warned motorists about the closure, which had closed Dove Field between Quail Woods Drive and Courtney Pines Road.
It wasn't immediately clear if the damage had also impacted any utilities, although there were crews from the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority on either side of the washed-out roadway surveying the damage around lunch on Saturday.
In August 2024 repairs to the road, which is maintained by the N.C. Department of Transportation, took nine days.
Reporter Gareth McGrath can be reached at GMcGrath@usatodayco.com or @GarethMcGrathSN on X/Twitter. This story was produced with financial support from Journalism Funding Partners. The USA TODAY Network maintains full editorial control of the work.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Ogden road washed out by flooding for second time in 2 years
