Levee path barricade erected as part of flood protection project

By Jennifer Learn-Andes [email protected]

Local cyclist Michael Giamber speaks to Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman Monday about new fencing blocking trail access atop the Wyoming Valley Levee in Edwardsville.

Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader

When the Susquehanna River floods, a new stop-log system of aluminum beams will be installed at this railroad crossing atop the levee in Edwardsville to eliminate the need for sandbags.

Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader

Luzerne County's Flood Protection Authority released this photo of a test installation of the new stop-log system that will block Susquehanna River flooding atop the Wyoming Valley Levee in Edwardsville at the site of a railroad crossing.

Submitted photo

Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman said Wyoming Valley Levee users ignored the old railroad crossing barricade in Edwardsville and passed around it, creating trenches that damaged the levee.

Submitted photo

A sliding gate was installed on the Wyoming Valley Levee at Wilkern Street in Exeter so sandbags are no longer needed there, as shown by Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman.

Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader

Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman stands atop a section of the levee that once contained a large opening for a railroad line that no longer operates off Swetland Lane in Wyoming.

Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader

A new barricade atop the Wyoming Valley Levee in Edwardsville may be unpopular, but levee overseer Christopher Belleman said it was necessary to improve flood response.

The impacted levee section passes through an active rail crossing owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway near the Wilkes University women's softball field and Kirby Park tennis courts.

As part of a project addressing dips and gaps at seven levee locations, Luzerne County's Flood Protection Authority sought Norfolk Southern's approval to modify the crossing so a gate system could be quickly set up when the Susquehanna River rises, eliminating the need for more than 1,500 sandbags.

Norfolk Southern would not grant permission unless the authority installed fencing, said Belleman, executive director of the flood authority. He had publicly announced the plans to block off the Edwardsville rail crossing a year ago, realizing it would be a "big change" for levee users.

"After lengthy negotiations, they would not budge," Belleman said of the rail operator. "The fencing was necessary to prevent pedestrian traffic across their rail tracks in the interests of public safety."

He stressed Norfolk Southern owns the land containing the rail crossing. While the county has an easement for the levee, it still needs the rail company's permission to make such an alteration, he said.

The fencing extends to the levee base on both sides, preventing the public from partially descending the levee slope to get around it.

Now that the project is wrapping up, the fence gates will be closed and locked within days, stopping walkers and bikers currently able to pass through, Belleman said. A sign on the locked fence will warn the public it is a dangerous, at-grade railroad crossing.

Belleman said the new stop-log system of aluminum beams "fits like a glove" to hold back water and will take a team of two or three about an hour to assemble, with the components stored nearby. In comparison, the past sandbag operation required six workers about 27 hours to prepare and set in place, according to a report compiled by the authority.

The authority previously had wood barricades across the levee path in front of the crossing with a no-trespassing sign, but Belleman said levee users ignored and walked or biked around them, creating trenches that damaged the flood control system. The warning sign also was spray-painted by vandals, he said.

Although recreation is encouraged on the levee path, Belleman said the levee is "first and foremost a flood protection system."

While briefly checking out progress on the fence completion Monday, Belleman was approached by two levee users about the reason for the change.

One of them, local resident and avid bicyclist Michael Giamber commended Belleman and the authority for maintaining the flood-control system but said the blockade will be disappointing to many.

"I understand the authority's position, but I think it's another white elephant," he said of the fencing. "Now people won't be able to get through, so that part of the trail becomes unusable to the public."

Giamber predicted trail users eventually will "find a way to get through."

Belleman said Norfolk Southern is not opposed to construction of an overhead walkway above the rail crossing, but Belleman said such a project would be expensive and outside the realm of the authority.

"Our money has to be spent on flood protection, not recreation," he said.

Project scope

Overall, the approximately $1.04 million project permanently eliminated four levee depressions or gaps and converted three sandbag openings to sliding gates or stop-log closure structures, Belleman said.

Jessup, Pennsylvania-based Fabcor Inc. was retained in April 2021 to complete the project, which was primarily funded by a grant.

Preliminary work started in 2015, when the authority sought right-of-way access from the county Redevelopment Authority to permanently fill in two defunct county railroad levee openings in Wyoming and West Wyoming, he said.

The largest gap, known as the Swetland Lane closure in Wyoming, was approximately 39 feet wide and 11 feet high and flanked by two graffiti-covered concrete walls. It dated back to the original 1940 levee construction to accommodate rail lines that are now inactive and owned by the county redevelopment authority, Belleman said.

Due to the opening's size, sandbags were not feasible. Instead, a levee crew of four or more had to spend a full day installing a mix of support posts, braces and aluminum logs to close it off, he said.

It is now a grass-covered wall that blends in with the rest of the earthen levee.

The West Wyoming closure is off Shoemaker Avenue and had required 725 sandbags, Belleman said. It was only 2 feet high but ran a length of about 34 feet, he said. As with the Wyoming opening, this one had dated back to the levee construction for trains that once passed through.

In all, the seven projects will eliminate the need for an estimated 7,280 sandbags and reduce manpower needs from 816 hours to four hours, according to the authority.

"This is a success story," Belleman said.

A summary of the other sites addressed:

• Railroad Street in Plymouth — a 3-foot-high and 26-foot-wide opening was filled in to be level with the earthen wall. The street cut through this spot for access to a private utility substation.

• On Beade Street in Plymouth, the street's grade was slightly increased so it crosses at the height of the levee.

• A stop-log system was developed at the Norfolk Southern crossing in the Wilkes-Barre side of the Black Diamond Bridge.

• At Wilkern Street in Exeter, a sliding gate was installed so sandbags are not needed there.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.