Portion of Pearl St. in Gardner closed due to flooding: What we know

A combination of heavy rain and a nearby road construction project resulted in a portion of Pearl St. in front of the Gardner Museum being flooded and closed to traffic Tuesday evening.

The street will remain closed from Cedar St. to the Uptown Rotary until further notice, and city officials are advising motorists to seek an alternate route if traveling in the area.

The substantial flooding was apparently caused by heavy rainfall and exacerbated by filter fabric placed over storm drains by construction crews working on the $2.3 million Uptown Rotary Project. The filters were not allowing water to quickly drain from the area due to the rain, according to officials.

The project, a joint venture between MassDOT and E.H. Perkins Construction of Hudson, is aimed at improving traffic flow, creating new green spaces, and providing upgraded bicycle and pedestrian accommodations in the intersection of Green, Elm, Central, and Pearl street, and Woodland Avenue.

City Engineer Rob Oliva informed the MassDOT project manager about the flooding issue, according to officials.

The project is expected to be completed by November 2024.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Portion of Pearl St. in Gardner closed due to flooding: What we know