Officials break ground on First Street Tunnel

WASHINGTON (AP) — City officials in Washington have broken ground on a tunnel intended to prevent flooding by storing stormwater during intense rainstorms.

Mayor Vincent Gray and other officials broke ground Friday on the First Street Tunnel which will hold millions of gallons of wastewater and stormwater during heavy rain. The project is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2016. It is intended to mitigate flooding in the Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park neighborhoods.

Officials say both neighborhoods have experienced flooding during heavy rains for more than a century.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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