Culvert replacement to close Forest Road

From staff reports

The USDA, Forest Service, announced Forest Road 124 will be closed Monday through Sept. 30 to allow for the replacement of the undersized, failing culvert on an unnamed tributary to Spring Creek in Allegheny National Forest in Jenks Township.

An Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) culvert that is sized to pass 100-year, peak stormwater flows will replace the old culvert.

Forest Road 124 crosses the unnamed tributary near its mouth, serves as the major thoroughfare between the villages of Duhring and Four Corners, provides access to timber and mineral resources, provides access to hunting and fishing, and comprises a section of the Spring Creek Horse Trail.

The AOP culvert is designed to reduce road maintenance needs, mimic a natural streambed and facilitate the passage of aquatic organisms. The new culvert will improve the habitat for multiple species of fish, salamanders, frogs, crayfish and other animals that travel along stream corridors.

The new culvert will also protect the integrity of the road during flood events, resulting in less disruption to commercial and recreational road users in the long term.

The work will be accomplished through a partnership with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

 

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