Roads damaged in Ida flooding
Pipe shortage a factor in repairs
LOWER SALFORD » The remnants of Hurricane Ida brought 10 inches of rain measured on a local gauge and “significant flooding throughout the township,” Public Works Director Doug Jones said at the Sept. 15 Lower Salford Township Board of Supervisors morning work session meeting.
Along with other areas with relatively minor wash-outs, trees downed and debris to be removed, the most significant road damage came on parts of Sturgis Road, In
dian Creek Road and Freeman School Road, he said.
“It’s amazing what flood waters will do,” Jones said.
On Sturgis Road, a large corrugated pipe was washed out after the end of the pipe became clogged with debris, he said.
“The water found its way around on the outside and just washed all the soil and the roadway involved away with it,” he said.
Repairs are planned, he said.
“The challenge that we’re running into is materials. Pipe is in such short supply,” Jones said.
Instead of replacing the large pipe with another of the same size, the plan is to put in two pipes, which hopefully will stay open better, he said.
“It’ll have more than enough carrying capacity compared to what’s already there,” Jones said.
On Indian Creek Road, an about 20-by-75-foot section of roadway was lifted up and rotated about 45 degrees, he said.
“You look down the street, there’s a double yellow line and all of a sudden there’s a section of it where the double yellow is just totally misaligned,” Jones said.
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency inspectors were scheduled to be coming to the township the following day to see the damage, which had also been reported to the county, he said.
“Hopefully, we’ll recover some of our costs in making these repairs,” he said.
The Sept. 1 flash flooding also hit the Camp Wawa Road bridge, he said. The bridge is being rebuilt in a project that began before the flooding.
“There were a number of things washed away including one of their office trailers,” Jones said.
“It only set them back a few days,” he said. “They’re still on schedule for completion by the end of this year.”
The flooding at the bridge was about a footand-a-half above the existing roadway, he said.