BUSHKILL - Contractor G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc., from York, PA, will begin repairing the road slump at mile marker 15 this coming Monday.  If weather conditions are favorable, work is anticipated to be completed by October 30, 2012, as originally predicted.  Once this project is completed, the section of Route 209 from the Raymondskill Road intersection south to milepost 15.8 will be reopened to vehicles. Route 209 will remain closed to through traffic until the final repairs are completed in October.   The project will include installation of a 600’ retaining wall and earthen anchors, upgraded drainage, roadway reconstruction, and repair of the Joseph M. McDade Recreational Trail.

The Federal Highway Administration awarded the $4.3 million contract to G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc. from York, Pennsylvania on July 3.  The project will be managed by the Federal Highway Administration in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS). The project is funded through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Repair of Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program and is part of an ongoing effort to repair roads and trails that were damaged by the heavy storms last fall. Work on other roads throughout the park is set to begin in late summer.

Last October, the NPS closed a portion of Route 209 at Mile Marker 15.3, just north of Route 739. Heavy rains from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in August and September of 2011 severely damaged a 150-yard section of the road. The northbound lane dropped approximately 5 inches and a portion of the embankment on the river side of the road dropped several feet. Investigation by Federal Highway Administration engineers determined that there were large voids under the road and that it was unsafe for vehicular traffic. A detour route using Route 739 and State Route 2001 has been in place since that time to guide motorists around the closed section.

“The repair of this roadway has been the top priority for the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration", said DWGNRA Superintendent John Donahue.   "We look forward to reopening Route 209 as soon as repairs are completed.”