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WILKES-BARRE — Construction is set to begin next month on closing a gap in the flood wall along the Lackawanna River in Duryea.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday announced the award of a $1.5 million contract to Leeward Construction Inc. of Honesdale.
The contract, awarded through a bidding process, calls for the installation of approximately 1,000 feet of sheet pile to close the gap in the existing wall along the river bank. The sheeting that is vertically driven into the ground will act as a flood wall, according to DEP. Additionally, the contractor will excavate a small section of the levee and to install drainage structures with gates. DEP said the project will improve upon the original levee built in 1967 and provide “a consistent level of flood protection throughout the borough.”
More than 330 houses in the borough sustained damage in the September 2011 flooding caused by Tropical Storms Irene and Lee. Vice President Joe Biden, a Scranton native, visited with other federal and state officials and met with residents during the cleanup, promising to provide help and offering them encouragement.
“The awarding of this contract is a monumental step in getting flood protection for the citizens and business owners of Duryea,” said Mike Bedrin, director of DEP Northeast Regional Office in Wilkes-Barre. “Many will never forget the water and debris the Lackawanna unleashed on the borough, with many generational homes and family businesses wiped out, some never to return. This will provide an appropriate level of protection.”
Work on the project will begin in early February with an anticipated completion date for June, barring weather-related events, such as heavy snow or rain, DEP said. Pre-construction work on construction entrances and a silt fence to filter and control erosion and sediment during digging has already begun.
State funds have already been allocated and established in ACT 131-the Commonwealth Budget Project of 2002. No federal monies will be used, DEP said.