City Flood Gate Tested; Bridge Reopens

LOCK HAVEN – A test of Lock Haven’s flood gate system forced the closing of the Veterans Bridge for much of daylight hours on Wednesday. A city crew erected the metallic flood wall, parts of which are stored in a nearby building at the intersection of Water and Jay Streets. The test was successfully carried out and the bridge opened to through traffic around 3 p.m.

The work was delayed briefly in the morning when two trucks arrived to transport box culverts across the bridge for a bridge replacement project at Croak Hollow on the Farrandsville Road. Both the truckers and the city had PennDOT permits for their respective projects, the city to erect its flood wall, the truckers to use Veterans Bridge. The snafu was resolved when the truckers from near Reading were given PennDOT permission to use the Constitution Bridge.

The Jay Street entrance to the city is the only one where the flood wall has to be erected. Swinging gates are used at several railroad entrances into the city. Traffic to Lockport and other points on the north side of the Susquehanna was detoured to the Constitution Bridge while the work was carried out.

The periodic testing is required by the Army Corps of Engineers.