Frankfort reviews flood projects with FEMA – The Times Telegram

FRANKFORT Replacement of the Hilltop Bridge tops the list of projects to be undertaken in the village of Frankfort as a result of the Halloween flood and Mayor Richard Adams hopes to advertise for bids on it soon.

The village is currently waiting for the engineers bid packet on the project, according to village Clerk Karlee Tamburro.

The storm also damaged the West Main Street Bridge, which is due to be replaced. The state Department of Transportation red flagged it, but the village hired Tioga Construction in December to make emergency repairs and the DOT has since removed the red flag designation, Adams said Thursday evening.

Tamburro met with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials earlier in the day to review the work for which the village will be seeking reimbursement.

We have 10 different projects. The biggest is going to be the Hilltop Bridge, she said, adding that it is referred to as the Swimming Road Bridge on the DOT listing. I dont think people realize we cant just fix the bridge; the structure needs to come down.

The new bridge may not be built until next year, said Tamburro.

Were not going to be able to just replace it the same way it was. The whole creek corridor has to be studied for hydraulics. Everything is going to have to work together with the West Main Street Bridge, she said.

The village will working with the New York State Canal Corporation, which owns the creek banks through a portion of the village, and engineers from Barton & Loguidice, to coordinate the work, said Tamburro.

Most of the damage occurred along the Moyer Creek corridor, she said. That includes the retaining wall behind Streamside Manor and Litchfield Manor apartments, which was eroded and scoured by the flood waters.

The Lehman Park embankment failure that had been repaired was also damaged.

There is also concern about a power pole that holds a transmission line that feeds the entire village.

That embankment was severely eroded as well, said Tamburro. The storm also damaged floating docks and ramps at the village marina.

Debris removal and culvert damage were among the projects listed. The village Department of Public Works handled some of this work and the village will seek reimbursement from FEMA for the costs.

As for the repairs to the West Main Street Bridge, reimbursement will be handled through the Federal Highway System, Tamburro said. The Bridge NY replacement project is a federal project through the DOT.

Engineering reports have shown the opening under the West Main Street Bridge is too small hydraulically; there is not enough room for a heavy flow of water such as came down through Moyer Creek as a result of the Halloween storm.

The report issued by Milone & MacBroom after the 2013 floods states that the West Main Street Bridge constricts the flow of water during flood events and is prone to ice jams, which exacerbate flooding. Stone masonry walls up and downstream of the bridge also constrain the creek. Utilities, including natural gas, a water supply main, a sanitary sewer line and electrical/communications conduits cross the bridge.

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Frankfort reviews flood projects with FEMA - The Times Telegram