The repairs for most of the damaged areas are complete or are currently under repair. However, the long-term impacts from the flooding will take many years to recover from.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Engineering District 3 continues to face challenges following the flooding and above average precipitation that has impacted north central Pennsylvania since 2016.

Despite these challenges, PennDOT District 3 has made repairs to 411 flood damaged state-owned highways, including roadway and bridge projects, costing approximately $56 million last year alone. PennDOT typically budgets approximately $30 million for statewide emergency funding in a given fiscal year.

The repairs for most of the damaged areas are complete or are currently under repair. However, the long-term impacts from the flooding will take many years to recover from.

Flood damage for most sites occurs during the actual flooding, however embankment failures or landslides can occur several months or years later due to the mechanics of the failure. There are currently 34 active landslide sites across six counties in District 3 because of these long-term effects and the number of active sites continues to grow.

The ongoing landslides pose a unique set of challenges, the largest being how to fund repairs. Damage that occurred during the flooding events was eligible for federal emergency funds. The landslides occurring after the flood events are not eligible for federal emergency funding and will need to be programmed for funding as the Department's operating budget and emergency funding availability will allow.

The district is managing the safety of these areas in the following ways:

• Several roadways have been closed due to the continuing nature of the embankment failure/landslide.
• Several roadways have had traffic restrictions imposed (shoulder and lane closures).
• All landslide areas that are open to traffic are being monitored at regular intervals and after storm events to ensure restrictions are placed or roads are closed prior to the landslides reaching a critical point

The landslides are being prioritized based on the community and regional needs. The district is gathering the needs from available traffic counts and discussions with community stake holders to determine what options are available.

The most critical landslides are being evaluated to determine what are the best repair options and what are the funding sources. Evaluations for certain landslides take considerable time due to the soil sampling and testing that is required.

Once the prioritization and evaluations are completed, PennDOT will provide more information to outline which landslides are able to be repaired and the approximate schedules for the projects.

Today's top stories

Growing Interest in Construction Careers Among Younger People Means Jobs Filled, Deadlines Met

Larry Young Paving Tackles Grade-Separated Interchange in Texas

Caltrans, Crews Working to Repair Highway Landslides

FIRSTGREEN Industries Launches ROCKEAT Electric Skid Steer Loader

'Tiltrotator Effect' Increases as Energy Consumption Goes Down

VIDEO: Birmingham, Ala., Awarded $14.5M Fed Grant to Revitalize Its 'Black Main Street'

Pettibone Celebrates 75th Anniversary of Cary-Lift

Fay Preps Way for Pittsburgh International Airport Modernization Project