The deliberations on how to repair the collapse of the beautiful 1840 stone arch tunnel that carries High Falls Creek under the canal, which has caused the loss of water through UBE (and points south) since March 29th, have been completed.
The scope of the project expanded in July when it was discovered that the repairs to the collapsed portion would not be sufficient, as the remainder of the 175-year-old stone culvert was not structurally sound.
The consultant, Bi-State Construction of Easton, PA., has determined that a metal sleeve can be inserted the whole length of the stone arch culvert, serving as a permanent repair. This allows the project to move forward as a maintenance project, without having to proceed through a time-consuming new permitting/design process. An Erosion and Sedimentation (E&S) plan will need to be submitted for County approval, though. Park Manager Rick Dalton is optimistic about this development, but cautious about announcing a timeline for repair completion until the E&S plan is approved, which will then trigger the review of the newly developed repair plans.