Gates to be Installed on Green Lane as Prophylactic for Flooding as Council Seeks $3.15 Million in Federal Funding for Solution

Bristol Borough officials announced last week that electronic gates to deter motorists from driving through the Green Lane overpass when it’s flooded are expected to be installed in the coming days, hopefully before the next rain storm inundates the area.

Borough Engineer Kurt Schroeder, of Gilmore & Associates, said that the borough has the gates but they have yet been installed.

A traffic engineer is scheduled to meet with the contractor and borough officials to determine the exact installation location for the gates in the next few days.

Once the site visit happens, the contractor is expected to begin installation shortly after, Schroeder said last week.

Borough Council at tomorrow night’s meeting (Monday July 12) will vote on a resolution to apply for the Building Resilient Infrastructures and Communities Grant Program (BRIC) through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the amount of $3,15 million to be used for the Green Lane storm pipe replacement project.

Officials have “conservatively” estimated costs rising to about $1o million to replace the entire stormwater management system at the underpass.

BRIC, according to FEMA, empowers states, local governments, tribal nations, and territories to make smart investments in resilient infrastructure. By supporting pre-disaster and hazard mitigation projects — such as school safe rooms, utility hardening, relocating critical facilities out of flood areas, and securing pump stations. BRIC aims to save lives, protect property, and reduce future disaster response and recovery costs.

Green Lane in Bristol Borough floods easily even after light rainfall
Credit: Jeff Bohen, Lower Bucks Source

Flooding at the site, which is a main arterial in and out of Bristol Borough has been an ongoing issue for years, with emergency services rescuing motorists from the tunnel at least twice in recent years. One rescue involved one vehicle passenger with ambulatory challenges. 

There have been other documented incidents where “safety hazards” placed a burden on Bristol first responders.

Green Lane is a state owned road.

Former Mayor Ralph DiGuiseppe III suggested the safety arm installation after a storm ripped through the Bristol area dumping rain that pooled at the underpass about three years ago. DiGuiseppe III said at the time one of his main concerns was that visitors to the borough were unaware of the flooding that happens at the underpass and would attempt to drive through it.

The cost of the safety gate installation is about $40,000. 00.

In a neighborly gesture Bristol Township approved of paying for half the cost ($20,000.00) of the emergency system last fall. 

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The borough has used its public workers and first responders to set up barricades every time it rains. They’ve been relentlessly trying to work with Amtrak and PennDOT to get relief from flooding, Mazur said explaining why the township decided to offset the borough’s overall costs.

In recent years, a flood study has been completed and the borough has been in discussion with officials about the state-owned road in attempts to rectify the public safety hazard with assistance from Bristol Township when heavy rains flood the roadway.

Credit: Lower Bucks Hospital

The stormwater lines on both sides of the street are severely deteriorated. The pipe that carries stormwater to the Delaware River is obstructed by tree roots and other debris, according to the study’s findings.

“I think it’s absurd PennDOT can take the position the borough should be responsible for $3.5 million worth of pipe that was installed in 1930,” Borough Manager Jim Dillon said last year.

Bristol officials did not say when flood safety gates would be installed. As of Sunday, there is no rain forecast for the immediate area in the next few days, according to the National Weather Service.

“The sooner the better we can get the floodgates installed,” Bristol Borough Emergency Management Coordinator AJ DeAngelis said

Credit: Bristol Borough Fire Police