HARRISBURG – State Rep. Camille “Bud” George, D-74 of Houtzdale, said a long-awaited flood-protection project is set to get under way in Osceola Mills.
“Bids are scheduled to be opened March 14 and, barring any snags, construction could begin in May,” George said. “The project is expected to take 10 months to complete and is designed to protect against 100-year flood levels.”
The project includes:
? Removing “the canal” — 1,960 feet of undersized and dilapidated culvert from just upstream of Second Avenue to just downstream of Logan Street.
? Building 80 feet of 7-feet-wide by 5-feet-high channel between the State Route 53 culvert outlet and Second Avenue.
? Installing 1,795 feet of 6-feet-wide by 4.5-feet-high concrete box culvert between Second Avenue and Logan Street.
? Building 140 feet of concrete channel with riprap slope protection at the downstream end of the project. This would be followed by 25 feet of riprap channel leading to the Moshannon Creek.
? Connecting street drains to the new culvert, adjusting sewer lines, restoring roads and grading and seeding.
“This project was envisioned more than 10 years ago when a January thaw and heavy snow cover combined to create the flood of 1996,” George said. A Capital Budget request was made for $3 million to cover the costs, and an encroachment permit was issued last July.