The state Department of Transportation plans to reconstruct in 2027 a West Market Street bridge over Leach Creek at Yard Avenue in Scranton that was damaged by the severe flash flooding of Sept. 9, 2023.
PennDOT officials will explain the upcoming bridge project and receive public input during a Scranton City Council caucus tonight at 5:45 p.m. at Scranton City Hall, according to a public notice in The Times-Tribune on April 15.
After the flash flooding, West Market Street at Yard Avenue was closed or had reduced lanes for a time until the conduit, road and a destroyed embankment were temporarily rebuilt.
The city also had acquired and razed two buildings at West Market Street and Yard Avenue, where Leach Creek ran under the property in a conduit that angled under West Market Street and bottlenecked with debris, causing flooding backups.
“We appreciate PennDOT’s partnership as we continue to upgrade infrastructure along both city- and state-owned roads,” Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti said in a city announcement about the bridge project. “Our stormwater infrastructure projects help us keep residents safe and prevent future disasters. This project is especially important for our North Scranton neighbors that were impacted by the September 2023 flood.”
Scranton filed an emergency petition Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023 in Lackawanna County Court for approval to demolish a condemned building at 501 W. Market St. in North Scranton, on the left in photo, and that has Leach Creek running under the property. The petition claims stormwater debris from heavy rain Sept. 9, 2023 bottlenecked at the property and worsened flooding in that immediate area. Photo shows flood-gouged West Market Street where Leach Creek is channeled in conduit under the road across from Yard Avenue. Leach Creek flows into Leggetts Creek a short distance downstream. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO)
PennDOT expects to start construction on the project, formally titled as “State Route 6011 Section 252 Bridge Project,” in spring of 2027 and complete it in fall of 2027, according to a project description posted online.
“The purpose of the project is to provide a sustainable crossing over Leach Creek that addresses structural and hydraulic deficiencies of the existing structure, and provides continued access to local residents, businesses and emergency services,” according to PennDOT’s project overview.
The project will involve:
Replacement of the existing stone masonry arch, masonry culvert and corrugated metal pipe with a precast box culvert.
Installation of tie-ins with the existing intersection of West Market Street and Yard Avenue.
Stream restoration upstream and downstream of the proposed structure to address streambed stability and sediment transport issues.
Construction of a reinforced concrete retaining wall extending upstream along the Leach Creek embankment.
Improvements to guiderails and drainage, and reconstruction of one driveway within the project limits.
Relocations of several utility poles for the project to proceed.
A six-tenths-of-a-mile detour also will be implemented during the four to six months of construction, using Brick Avenue, Oak Street and Keyser Avenue (State Route 6307). Local access to driveways will be maintained during construction.
A PennDOT map of West Market Street over Leach Creek in Scranton, which will get rebuilt under an upcoming project and that was discussed Tuesday, April 22, 2023 at a Scranton City Council caucus. (IMAGE COPIED FROM PENNDOT WEBSITE)
Online information including the proposed detour, project information and a form to submit public comments can be found online at PennDOT District 4-0 website, at www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/projects-near-you/district-4-projects/route-6011-bridge-project.html.
The public comment period and a virtual plan display online both began April 8 and will run through May 6, 2025.