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A step was taken by the Lycoming County Commissioners this week to move forward with a project in Jersey Shore which has, according to John Lavelle, deputy director at the county's planning and community development department, a lot of complicated history.
The Lawshee Run Culvert Replacement project refers to a culvert that runs 1,100 feet along Allegheny Street in the borough of Jersey Shore. It comprises five different types of culverts, part of which is pipe that is degrading and collapsing, Lavelle explained.
"It's also the sidewalk along Allegheny Street and after Tropical Storm Lee, damage occurred with some of the sidewalk...which is the ceiling of the culvert itself," he said.
Current estimates for fixing the problem are at about $7 million, although Lavelle said he felt that it could be more than that, since the estimates are from 2017.
"We've tried multiple times to get funding for this project," Lavelle said, noting that the process had reached as far as the Department of Transportation's desk for consideration.
"Our major drawback was the fact that we didn't have the project fully engineered. We didn't have environmental permits at the time in hand to get started. We were confident that we could do that. They thought otherwise," he said.
Lavelle was at the commissioners' meeting this week to request approval for policy and procedure for consultant selection with the state's Department of Transportation (DOT) for the project.
"We anticipate most of our construction funding is going to come from DOT," he said.
That department has its own procedures for their engineering and construction management system for handling bids for the work to be done.
“We don't use this regularly. It's basically for more complicated projects, especially when it comes to transportation related items like this," Lavelle said.
"With the policies and procedures today, our consultant selection is primarily for design services," he said.
Funding for the services, which could be about $700,000, would come from a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant from the county and also grant money the borough has obtained.
There is also about $1 million set aside for the Lawshee Run project.
"I can't predict exactly what it will be, but we have enough to fund that and get on to a more competitive project," he said.
Commissioner Scott Metzger commented that with so much emphasis placed on the levee in the county, people often forget about other areas which are prone to flooding. He cited the Muncy area, Grafius Run in Williamsport and Lawshee Run.
"These are all areas that are critical that need to be addressed," Metzger said. "Lawshee Run -- to have that corrected is critical for Jersey Shore and their citizens."
Lavelle highlighted the seriousness of the project.
"It's along Allegheny Street, so if this culvert goes out, you're losing your main thoroughfare through town," he said.
The next commissioners' meeting will be at 10 a.m. April 25 at the Commissioners' Board Room, 1st floor Executive Plaza, 330 Pine St.