Wilkes-Barre flood wall repair on track for June completion

A $650,150 project to stop erosion near part of the Wyoming Valley Levee wall in Wilkes-Barre is still expected to begin in the middle of June, Laura Holbrook, Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority executive director, said during Tuesday’s meeting.

Soil and rock have been sliding downhill at the site near the intersection of Riverside Drive and Academy Street, adjacent to the Black Diamond railroad bridge. Dirt must be replaced with large stone rip-rap to restore stability to the bank, officials have said.

The Susquehanna River must be down to 5 feet to initiate the project. It was 4.08 feet on Tuesday, and Holbrook said the authority is hoping for an extended period with little or no rain.

“We have to assess upcoming weather patterns to ensure a drier climate that is needed for this project,” she said.

DGR Excavating LLC, the Granville Summit, Pennsylvania-based contractor that submitted the lowest bid, has obtained bonding and other required certificates and is “ready to mobilize,” Holbrook told the authority board.

DGR’s first task will be to construct an access road, which should take about a week, she said.

The authority is prepared to tap its capital fund to pay for the portion of the project not covered by outside awards, which could impact other scheduled projects tied to the levee, officials said.

Authority Board Chairman Dominic Yannuzzi publicly thanked state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, on Tuesday for securing $100,000 toward the project.

That means $200,000 is available because State Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Dunmore, also obtained a $100,000 legislative grant for the project, authority representatives said.

Pashinski said Tuesday he accessed funds for the emergency project through the Democratic leadership team and encourages other legislative colleagues to also seek assistance for the flood control project that “affects all of us.”

“That dike is absolutely critical,” Pashinski said.

An emergency action plan would be put into effect at the site if the Susquehanna rises before work is completed, authority officials have stressed.

Fence removal

Authority representatives recently met with Norfolk Southern Railway to start planning the next steps for a project aimed at eliminating an unpopular fencing barricade on the levee trail in Edwardsville, Holbrook said.

The fencing was installed in April 2023 to prevent the public from crossing an intersecting active Norfolk Southern train line, but it has been an unwelcome obstruction to many accustomed to freely walking, biking, and jogging on the path between Edwardsville and Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre.

The authority has secured state and federal grants totaling $1.2 million to design and construct safe alternatives for the crossing.

Holbrook said Tuesday the authority is “looking at minimum requirements,” such as audio and visual warnings and signs both on and along the path.

She has emphasized that fencing must remain in place until another solution is designed, approved, and completed. The rail crossing is near the Wilkes University women’s softball field and Kirby Park tennis courts.