Lower Saucon Township Council members learned Wednesday night that the extent of the problems with the Narrows–a section of Riverside Drive–will not be known until PennDOT workers are able to peel back a 40 to 50-foot stretch of the one-lane road.
Township manager Jack Cahalan said that section–which is east of the Steel City Hill Climb–appears to have been built on top of poured concrete.
“That’s been undermined and it’s become a danger to public safety,” he said.
The road was closed to through traffic last week, and although PennDOT does plan to repair and reopen it there is currently no timeline for completion of the work.
Cahalan said PennDOT staff have been in communication with Norfolk Southern–whose rail lines parallel the Narrows–and will be coordinating the reconstruction effort with them.
That effort may involve the construction of a retaining wall, he noted.
“(PennDOT) indicated they wanted to make a repair that would last longer than one year,” Cahalan said.
Several residents who live near or along the Narrows addressed council about the road, which is one of only two roads out of the Steel City neighborhood.
John Hulsizer told council he’d already heard the repairs could cost as much as $2 million.
“We don’t know how long it’s going to take,” and if there’s an emergency and he needs to get to his family in Steel City by driving down the closed Narrows side he will do so, he said.
Christine Hahn, who said she lives along the Narrows, also expressed concerns about a catastrophic event involving either a train or “Praxair.”
“Just because it hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen,” she said, noting that the intermodal rail terminal at Bethlehem has resulted in an increase in rail traffic through the Narrows.
Recent torrential rains have also resulted in mudslides along the roadway, and she questioned whether some of the runoff might be coming from the nearby IESI Bethlehem Landfill.
“I’ve lived there for 37 years,” Hahn said. “It really needs to be looked at.”
Hahn also asked that the township do more to keep residents who live along or near the Narrows informed about issues road-related issues, and not just via their website.
“Not everybody goes on the Internet,” she said.
Councilwoman Priscilla deLeon said residents of Steel City should be grateful to both state Sen. Lisa Boscola and state Rep. Bob Freeman for their support for restoring the road.
Both Freeman and a representative for Boscola attended a meeting with PennDOT officials last week that was also attended by township fire and emergency officials.
A photo of the section of the Narrows (Riverside Drive) in Lower Saucon Township that has been undermined is projected at council’s June 17, 2015 meeting.