PennDOT’s Northampton County maintenance staff in cooperation with Norfolk Southern will begin repairs to the section of Riverside Drive known as “The Narrows” in Lower Saucon Township on Thursday, Dec. 3, according to an email from PennDOT District 5 spokesman Ron Young.
A view of a section of the Narrows (Riverside Drive) in Lower Saucon Township
The one-way road that connects Steel City with points to the east has been closed to through traffic since June.
“This…repair will only be for the single location with the most severe damage,” Young said of the work that begins Thursday. “This 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 there are seven other locations on Riverside Drive “that need repairs due to washed out areas of the roadway and/or slopes. These remaining locations will be treated with a combination of soil, rock and gabion baskets (rectangular wire mesh baskets filled with rock to form retaining walls–typically for erosion control for bank stabilization, and channel linings).”
PennDOT anticipates completing the repairs in the spring after a work suspension during winter months, he added.
