County contracts with firm to handle flood-related repairs
A part of Mingo Creek Road is down to one lane near the Henry Bridge.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Part of Mingo Creek Road near the Henry Bridge is down to one lane.
Those walking, biking or driving through Mingo Creek County Park have seen cones and caution tape along the main road, but Washington County has contracted with Morgan Excavating of Charleroi to repair flood-related damage.
Repairs at the park and at a washout at the South Wade Avenue bridge approach in Washington are expected to cost $99,000.
The commissioners unanimously approved the expenditure Thursday, with Commission Vice Chairman Diana Irey Vaughan participating via speakerphone. Commission Chairman Larry Maggi said she was “away on a family matter.”
A series of flash floods that began July 28 uprooted creekside trees and inundated roads, breaking up the pavement and sending soil and rocks beneath the road tumbling into the waterway.
Nearby residents described the rampage as “Mingo River.”
The park was again hit hard in January and February.
In Washington, Chartiers Creek Bridge No. 61 south of East Maiden Street was replaced in 2015 at a cost of $1.5 million using a combination of federal, state and local tax dollars, but rising waters there have also necessitated repairs to the abutments, said Lisa Cessna, director of Washington County Planning Commission, which oversees parks and bridges.