Latrobe looks to repair inlet damaged in flooding at shopping plaza

July 22--Latrobe Council on Monday will take stock of a plan to repair and update a Josephine Street storm inlet that was damaged during severe flooding June 20.

A nearby church and some businesses, including several at the adjacent Lincoln Road Shopping Plaza, were damaged by water and mud in flash flooding that afternoon. Fire Chief John Brasile has noted the flooding worsened when a footbridge that was swept away in the storm became lodged against the three-pipe inlet on Josephine.

The city has sought bids to install three new polymer-coated pipes in the inlet, replacing the aging, rusting tin ones. The central pipe was crushed by a basin above that caved through during the flooding, according to public works supervisor Michael Gray.

Bids were due Friday and are to be reviewed in time for discussion at the Monday meeting, Gray said.

To keep debris from blocking the inlet and adding to future flooding woes, he said, "We're going to have the contractor construct and install a basket cage in front of the pipes.

"In the event a foreign object is carried downstream, it would hit that barrier but still allow water to travel into the pipes."

He said the cage, made of steel rebar, should be strong. The project will include fixing a concrete sidewalk and using rip rap to stabilize the area in front of the inlet.

After last month's damage, city crews removed much of the debris that had washed into the pipes. They were standing by with heavy equipment as a precaution when a new round of heavy rain and flash flooding occurred Tuesday , Gray noted.

"The pipes were carrying the water at close to maximum capacity," he said. "The water never made it up onto the road. A lot of volume can be passed through those pipes."

Latrobe is responsible for repairing and maintaining the pipes that lie under the street, but not the culvert that provides drainage under the adjacent shopping plaza, which is private property, Gray and city manager Wayne Jones said.

Gray said the city does plan to assess the plaza culvert for potential problems while it fixes the inlet.

"The contractor will check to see if there is any additional damage that needs addressed," he said.

Since bids for street paving came in a little lower than expected, some of the money budgeted for that work may be used instead on the inlet project, Jones said.

"Obviously, this is an emergency repair," he said. "We've got to get it done."

"We want to act fast on doing the repairs," Gray said.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.

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