Historic Lehigh Canal Towpath Reopens
Last updated: 06/27/2011 10:06
The historic Lehigh Canal Towpath in Canal Park in the City of Allentown is back open to the public. The towpath had been shutdown since October 6, 2009 when a breach caused most of the water in the Lehigh Canal to drain into the Lehigh River. Repairs were completed by Bi-State Construction of Easton.
“The city, our partners at other levels of government, the engineering firm and the contractor worked expeditiously to complete the job,” said Allentown Department of Parks & Recreation Director Greg A. Weitzel. “Meetings were held to begin the necessary permitting process within a day or two and a temporary cofferdam was constructed within three days.” Repair work began on November 30.
Unsuitable materials, including an uprooted tree that could have caused the breach to occur, were removed. A 75 foot long stacked stone embankment was constructed to assure long-term stabilization of the riverbank. New clay was placed and compacted to restore the towpath and canal channel to its historic dimensions, and a geosynthetic clay liner was installed to insure that the repair remains permanently watertight. In addition, temporary repairs to a leaking wastegate downstream from the breached towpath section will allow water in the canal to be maintained at a higher level, which will also help the City of Bethlehem and Freemansburg Borough maintain more water in their historic canal sections.
The work was authorized under an emergency permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Northeast Regional Office, and timely issuance of Nationwide Permit #13 (to stabilize the Lehigh River bank) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District’s Pocono Field Office.
An exemplary level of agency coordination and assistance provided by the City of Allentown Department of Parks & Recreation and Department of Public Works, along with Robert Hosking from McTish, Kunkel & Associates combined with an experienced design and construction team allowed the project to be completed more than two and a half weeks ahead of schedule.
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