The one-way section of Riverside Drive known as The Narrows in Lower Saucon Township will remain closed until the spring so PennDOT maintenance crews can make needed repairs to it, agency spokesman for District 5-0 Ron Young said in an email to township officials Wednesday.
Young said PennDOT staff completed a “constructability review” of the road this week, in which they identified eight locations that need repairs due to washed out areas of the roadway and/or slopes.
PennDOT has developed a plan to repair the eight locations, seven of which will be treated with a combination of soil, rock and gabion baskets (rectangular wire mesh baskets filled with rock to form retaining walls that are typically used for erosion control for bank stabilization and channel linings).
“The other location with the most severe damage will be treated with a concrete slab that will ‘bridge’ the washed out area and provide support for the road above,” Young said.
The cost estimate range for the repairs is $400,000 to $600,000, according to PennDOT.
Work along the roadway will begin this fall and be suspended over the winter, to be completed in the spring.
“Coordination with Norfolk Southern Railroad is necessary as portions of the repairs will require temporary suspensions of train operations,” Young said. “PennDOT staff will soon begin this coordination.”
The Narrows–which has been closed to all but local traffic since June–is one of only two roads that lead out of the Steel City section of Lower Saucon Township.
A view of the Narrows (Riverside Drive) in Lower Saucon Township
