Contract awarded to close Wyoming Valley Levee gaps

Wyoming Valley Levee overseers have approved a contract to address seven gaps in the flood control system so approximately 8,000 sandbags and other labor-intensive closures won’t be needed when the Susquehanna River rises.

“It’s really going to improve our flood-fighting efficiency tremendously,” said county Flood Protection Authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman.

The authority board voted Tuesday to award the $934,930 contract to Jessup, Pennsylvania-based Fabcor Inc., the low bidder.

Four other companies submitted bids, and the next lowest was $247,200 more than Fabcor’s, according to the authority.

Belleman told the board he has had positive experiences working with Fabcor on several other past projects

Most of the expense — $813,900 — will be covered by a grant the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded last year, with the rest paid by the authority, Belleman said.

“It’s a good investment on our part,” board member Richard Adams said, referring to the project benefits and significant grant funding.

Four openings will be permanently filled in, according to Belleman.

Two — Stites Street in West Wyoming and Swetland Lane in Wyoming — date back to the original 1940 levee construction and had been carved out to accommodate rail lines that are now inactive and owned by the county Redevelopment Authority, he said.

Both will become part of the earthen wall.

Stites Street had required approximately 1,500 sandbags during flooding because it is only about 2 feet high but runs a length of 34 feet. The remote Swetland Lane gap is 39 feet wide and 11 feet high, forcing a crew to spend a day assembling a mix of support posts, braces and aluminum logs when the water rises, he said.

The remaining two openings slated for elimination are in Plymouth. Beade Street will be graded to cross at the height of the levee, eliminating the need for about 1,500 sandbags. On Railroad Street, access to a substation on the river side will be created over the levee so the roadway doesn’t cut through the levee top.

The three other gaps in Edwardsville, Wilkes-Barre and Exeter can’t be eliminated because they are needed for access, Belleman said.

The Edwardsville opening and another on the opposite side of the Black Diamond Bridge in Wilkes-Barre must remain passable for still-active Norfolk Southern Railway train traffic.

To end reliance on sandbags, the project will create “stop log” system of aluminum beams at both rail openings that can be quickly set up and dismantled by a two-person crew as needed.

The final opening on Wilkern Street in Exeter must remain to provide access to a cemetery and some other properties, Belleman said. A sliding gate will be installed so sandbags are not needed there.

Belleman said he is optimistic all seven projects will be completed this year.

Related to this project, the authority also approved a cooperation agreement with the county redevelopment authority Tuesday that will provide temporary construction easements for work on two openings.

Instead of paying an easement fee, the flood authority will help with vegetation control on some redevelopment authority property.