The Norwegian Creek Tunnel under downtown Pottsville is dotted with debris. There may even be evidence of decay.
The City of Pottsville recently allowed a photographer from The Republican-Herald to lower a camera into the manhole in the 400 block of North Progress Avenue to see a section of the mile-long tunnel.
One image taken shows a stone that seems to have fallen from the east side. But Daniel E. Kelly, city superintendent of streets, said he wasn't so sure.
"It could be debris along the way. The rest of the wall looks pretty secure, from what I can see in this picture. It didn't look like the arch was compromised at all. If there was a bigger pile, I'd be more leery of it. You'd almost have to physically go down inside there and look at it. You'd have to get inside there and look," Kelly said.
However, the city isn't planning an engineering study of the tunnel, where a 1-foot hole appeared near the Mauch Chunk Street bridge three weeks ago.
"We had our engineer look at it this week and they agreed that we can just have it fixed," Kelly said Wednesday.
While the city has a deal-with-it-as-it-happens approach, other municipalities in Schuylkill County with similar stormwater systems have different philosophies on how to maintain them.
"We try to be as proactive as possible," Kevin A. Steigerwalt, Tamaqua borough manager, said Aug. 14.
"We all have these problems with decaying infrastructure and we're all trying to do something to address them. We're trying to be proactive," Daniel Lynch, Mahanoy City borough manager, said Aug. 14.
The tunnel under Pottsville
The Norwegian Creek Tunnel in Pottsville is fed by two tributaries that flow from Railroad and Peacock streets. The entrance is at Barefield Outdoor Recreation Complex, 823 Terry Reiley Way.
Built in the mid-19th century, the Norwegian Creek Tunnel is 12 feet in diameter and a mile long. It weaves under North Centre Street and Progress Avenue, Kelly said.
"It meanders," he said.
The tunnel turns east near the intersection of Progress Avenue and runs behind properties including One Norwegian Plaza, the headquarters of city engineer Alfred Benesch and Co. It continues south and ends at an abandoned railroad bridge. The creek pours into a tributary of the Schuylkill River that flows from Port Carbon.
The tunnel is mostly stone arch, however, there are sections made of concrete, according to Kelly.
Three weeks ago, a 1-foot-wide section caved in, creating a hole on the far southwest side of the parking lot at Kentucky Fried Chicken, 419 S. Claude A. Lord Blvd., Pottsville.
At the city council's August meeting, City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said the council would not consider an engineering study unless Kelly recommended it.
On Friday morning, Kelly visited the site with representatives from Dallago's Backhoe Service, Minersville, to discuss a repair plan. He asked Brian Baldwin, an engineer with Benesch, for an opinion on the Dallago's plan.
"First, we wanted to see the property lines. It's in our right-of-way. We're not going to replace the stones which fell out of the arch. We're going to fill the hole with a concrete plug," Kelly said Wednesday.
Kelly said Baldwin thought it was a good plan. Baldwin could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Kelly gave Dallago's permission to do the work and he expected the hole would be repaired within two weeks.
Kelly didn't recommend Benesch consider a study of the system, and Benesch will not consider doing a study unless the city asks, James J. Rhoades Jr., environmental group manager for Benesch, said Aug. 14.
"We're not asking for a recommendation this point. That would be costly," Kelly said Wednesday.
Colleen Connolly, community relations coordinator with the state Department of Environmental Protection, Wilkes-Barre, thought the city should consider it.
"Certainly, if Pottsville wants to get ahead of the game on this issue, it might be prudent for them to hire a civil engineer now. But we're not at the point where we're recommending it. That's a decision the city would have to make. They're paying for it, so they'd have to make that decision. Hiring a civil engineer now could save them money in the long run to head off problems that only a civil engineer could anticipate," Connolly said Aug. 13.
"To do a study, you'd need a lot of money," Kelly said Monday.
"If it's something they can't afford, there are loans out there through PennVEST," Connolly said.
There are two ways such studies can be done, according to Rhoades. A civil engineer can walk through the system or a remote-controlled camera can be sent through.
"It's a robot with a camera you can drive through a pipe. It's hard to tell which is more expensive, a robot or sending in an engineer, without seeing the project specifications," Rhoades said.
Tamaqua plans ahead
Other municipalities with ancient tunnels have problems as well, but different approaches to dealing with them.
The Borough of Tamaqua is making plans to repair a section of Wabash Tunnel just off South Railroad Street near Tamaqua Public Library.
In 2011, stones on the south side of the tunnel wall fell out, causing a 1-foot-wide subsidence in the library's south lawn, according to Steigerwalt.
"It was a washout behind the stone wall. A couple of dry-stacked stones fell out and the dirt behind them washed away," Steigerwalt said Aug. 14.
The borough placed orange-colored plastic fences around the site and a plastic barrel on top of the hole.
Steigerwalt believes the tunnel was built by the railroad around the time the borough was incorporated in 1832. Stormwater runs from Schuylkill Township through the tunnel and into the Little Schuylkill River.
"It's mostly stone arch but there are sections that are formed and poured concrete. It starts at Kane Lumber and goes for a half-mile. It crosses Broad Street twice and goes under homes, streets, yards, you name it. It surfaces a bit behind the library, then goes back under the railroad track," Steigerwalt said.
The borough doesn't own the tunnel; instead, it's owned by the people who own the properties it runs through, he said.
"But even though we don't own it, we feel that this is the best way of dealing with it. You can only imagine what it would be like trying to make individual property owners responsible for it," Steigerwalt said.
The Flood of 2006 left the Wabash Tunnel in a serious state of disrepair, with some sections partially blocked. Its maintenance became one of the borough's top priorities.
Soon afterward, the council started an account to collect funds for future maintenance of the tunnel, and dedicated a half-mill of taxes per year to it.
"That's a good idea, very smart," Connolly said.
"Right now, there's about $215,000 in there," Steigerwalt said.
The borough also commissions studies of the tunnel every so often.
In June 2007, the borough used flood grants from the state and federal governments to finance a $34,700 study conducted by Alfred Benesch and Co.
"That was to evaluate the structural integrity of the tunnel," Steigerwalt said.
In July 2008, the borough council hired Bill Anskis Co., Elysburg, to do $168,172.50 worth of repairs. The project was called the "Wabash Creek Flood Repair and Mitigation Project," Steigerwalt said.
In 2011, the borough hired Benesch to supervise another study, which cost "about $14,000," Steigerwalt said.
"That was a study to determine how many wildcat sewers were draining into it and, to get more bang for our buck, we did an overall inspection," Steigerwalt said.
Mahanoy City's strategy
The Borough of Mahanoy City closely monitors the 23-block-long stormwater drain under Market Street, from the east edge of the borough to the west side of the borough.
While there are stone arches at the intersections, some sections are made of concrete and steel beams, Lynch said.
"It's a patchwork, like Frankenstein," Lynch said.
A study of the system conducted by the state Department of Transportation in January indicated two sections made of weathered concrete and steel need to be replaced. They are in the 200 block of East Market Street and a section of the unit block of West Market Street and the 100 block of East Market St., according to Rhoades.
"The stone arches aren't the problems. Our problems are the spans, and we're hoping to raise maybe $2 million for the project," Lynch said.
Rhoades said it could be approved by 2015.
Unlike the tunnels under Pottsville and Tamaqua, the storm drain under Market Street in Mahanoy City is included in the state bridge inspection program.
"It's classified as a bridge," Lynch said.
"It is inspected yearly because it is posted with a 15-ton weight restriction. The inspection cost is approximately $20,000 due to the length of the structure - approximately 23 blocks long - and the costs for special equipment due to enclosed space access. The equipment includes breathing respirators, generators, body suits and gloves, portable lighting and two-way radios," Ronald J. Young Jr., press officer for PennDOT Engineering District 5, Allentown, said Aug. 13.
In the past few years, the borough has been replacing sections of it block by block.
"What's different about ours is it's a straight shot from one end of the town to the other. So we've been able to look at it block by block, and we've been replacing sections of the stone arch. The last time I talked with our engineers, I heard it cost between $800,000 to $1 million per block," Lynch said.
"We encourage communities to fix tunnels like these in sections. If Mahanoy City feels that's the best move, that's something DEP supports," Connolly said.