Bob Fryer, Advocate for Bridgeville

Flooding Issues

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As Bridgeville residents saw last year and in years prior, the flooding in the city of Bridgeville is major issue that need to be addressed. Another issues Bridgeville officials must address is the patching of Bower Hill Road, which occurs every two years

What is Causing the Flooding Issues?

The new Commercial Street bridge over the McLaughlin Run Creek was determined by three studies to have a totally inadequate 1460 CUBIC FEET OF WATER A SECOND WATER FLOW (only half the flow capacity of the railroad bridge upstream and immediately next to it).

This the main cause of the flooding of the Baldwin Street/McLaughlin Run Road area families and the Carol Street area residential as well as the commercial district of Bridgeville.

It is also important to in mind that Bridgeville's increasing flooding problem is being caused by the 7-square mile water shed area into the McLaughlin Run Creek from Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park where adequate storm water retention ponds were never built.

I am certain that the present discussion of MERELY constructing a higher WALL along the West edge of the McLaughlin Run Creek from the Commercial Street culvert 1/4 mile to Chartiers Creek will solve the Baldwin Street/Mclaughlin Run Road flooding problem.... is incorrect!

Bower Hill Road Patching

To end the necessity of patching the asphalt road surface of a 100-yard-long section of Bower Hill Road every 2 years, starting at the cement company toward the Mclaughlin Run Road intersection, there are a few things that must be taken care of:

  • In order to end the massive water flow volumes that have running over the edge of the hillside, under Bower Hill road for the last 20 years, and "undermining" its pavement base, an underground pipe system must be built for all 22 of the roof rain water down drains from the 1st 4 homes on Bluff Street that are being released on to the ground surface, in order to end the massive water flow volumes that are running over the edge of the hillside and seeping into the Bower Hill Road asphalt pavement base.
  • A cement trough drain must also be built along the top edge of the hillside to prevent the rain water from about an acre of ground surface from the back yards of the 4 homes, from running over the edge of the hillside, and continuing to seep under Bower Hill Road.
  • The storm water from both of these systems cannot be released on to the surface of Bower Hill Road, it must be released through pipes buried UNDER Bower Hill Road and directly into the McLaughlin Run Creek.

Incidentally, the deep core borings that Bridgeville had a professional firm do a few years ago, evaluating the stability of base under the asphalt paving of this section of Bower Hill Road, indicated that it was not excessively unstable. By completing this Bower Hill Road Project perhaps the distribution of the misinformation will end that...."the section of Bower Hill Road from the cement company to the McLaughlin Run Road intersection cannot be stabilized and must be removed."

Two or three years ago, the representative of "the creek flooding solution" company that was hired by the Bridgeville Borough, was informed that this section of Bower Hill Road was not salvageable and should be removed, and it became the basis of her solution to the Baldwin Street flooding problem, that included transforming the business district into a 3-acre, lake size flood plain, with half of the buildings to be placed on 12 foot high vertical columns.

The flooding issues are leaving residents and businesses with expensive damage and major disruptions to their daily lives. It’s time to urge your Bridgeville officials to resolve this situation and improve the quality of life for Bridgeville’s residents.