PennDOT: Washington Twp.'s Main Street reopens after flood repairs

BANGOR, Pa. — Main Street in Washington Township and Bangor, which was closed because of flooding from heavy rainfall July 16, has reopened, the state Department of Transportation announced Monday.

• Main Street in Washington Township has reopened following repairs associated with flooding on July 16
• Two other District 5 roadways, Zucksville Road in Forks Township and Riverside Drive in Lower Saucon Township, remain closed
• Local, state and federal agencies continue to deal with the aftermath of the flooding that hit the Lehigh Valley during the July 16 storm

Two additional stretches of state roadway remain closed because of storm damage in PennDOT’s District 5: Zucksville Road from Bushkill Drive to Maple Avenue in Forks Township, and Riverside Drive from Jefferson Avenue to E. Redington Road in Lower Saucon Township.

Both closures will remain in place until PennDOT crews can complete repair work.

Washington Township declared a Natural Emergency Disaster on July 19, noting, “As of now any potential damage to public and individual properties are still being assessed across the eastern half of the commonwealth.”

Lehigh Valley continues to struggle

Authorities continue to encourage residents and business owners to fill out an online survey if they suffered any ramifications from the flooding.

The Lehigh Valley continues to struggle with the aftermath of the heavy rainfall which triggered flash flooding and damage to roads and homes across the area just last week.

Heavy rain pounded communities in a short time, with Nazareth seeing 4.63 inches of rain by Monday afternoon, Easton counting 4 inches by early Monday evening and Bethlehem topping out at 2.55 inches Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Northampton County has reported damage to county-owned bridges linked to the flooding, and municipalities that have reported damage and are providing preliminary assessments include:

• Bangor, Forks Township, Plainfield Township and Washington Township with infrastructure and road issues
• East Bangor and Lower Mount Bethel Township, which both have road damages
• Stockertown has reported recreational trail and park issues
• Tatamy reported municipal park damages
• Palmer Township (unspecified damages).

Residents urged to report damages

Northampton County Emergency Management Services noted damages were estimated at $400,000 to $500,000 as of July 19, “with multiple municipalities yet to report their estimated recovery and response costs.”

Overall costs are likely to increase as more individuals report damages.

Residents and business owners who were affected by flooding are encouraged to contact their local municipal officials, who will in turn report the damages to NCEMS, which plays a part in determining the amount of state or federal aid delivered.

Anyone unable to contact municipal officials should call NCEMS at 610-746-3194, ext. 3228. The county intends to send detailed damage reports to both the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Numerous municipalities across the Lehigh Valley, including spots such as Upper Mount Bethel, relied on public works crews — largely staffed by students working summer jobs — to address issues with roadways and flooding damage.