MCALLEN – Residents in a McAllen neighborhood said they’ve never worried about floodwaters until a nearby construction project got underway.

For years, the drainage ditch between E. Martin and Dove avenues has kept floodwaters out of surrounding neighborhoods.

Construction crews are working to cover the nearby drainage ditch with a parking lot.

McAllen resident Eduardo Flores said he doubts the construction project will work.

“The water that’s flowing through there is not going to be able to flow through there like it had in the past,” he said.

The ditch belongs to the city of McAllen, but Doctors Hospital at Renaissance is covering the canal to expand its parking lot.

McAllen city manager Roy Rodriguez said DHR is responsible for the construction through and inter-local agreement with the city of Edinburg.

“The construction of the project is something that DHR is responsible for. We are not building that box at all,” he said.

Rodriguez said the drainage ditch will not completely disappear like some residents fear.

“So, we’ve agreed to allow that drain ditch to be put underground. We’re putting double box in the vicinity there,” he said.

Flores said he’s seen the ditch get nearly full during heavy downpours.

“It’s going to create a backup south of Dove. And once that backs up and overflows the bank, it’s going to flood the neighborhood here,” he said.

The McAllen resident believes the redesign of the drainage ditch will not be sufficient enough to handle a high volume of water

Rodriguez said Flores is not the only resident who is worried about the project.

“This week, we met with residents of Homeowners Association… We assured them that we are going to address their concerns,” he said.

The city manager said engineers gave the green light for the new drainage project.

“We feel very confident that the drainage is going to work just fine,” he said.

The city of McAllen said they will also be overseeing the construction of the parking lot. Rodriguez said the city will be the one maintaining the drainage box once is built.

Count on CHANNEL 5 NEWS to bring you more details as they become available.