2-22-2017 What’s up with the dam coming down?

Feb 10, 2017 by

Public Meeting about 3rd Street & Broomall’s Dam with DEP

On Wednesday, February 22 at 6pm, at the Media Borough Parlor Room, area residents will have an opportunity to hear from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in a Public Informational Meeting about the planned partial breach of Broomall’s Dam, currently scheduled for April 30th.

The partial breach will reduce the safety hazard of the orphaned dam which is in severe disrepair.

However, the partial breach will render the road impassable to pedestrians and bicycles in addition to cars for two years or more, until the proposed dam reconstruction is complete. With no parties yet willing to claim ownership of the current or proposed dam, it is uncertain how long this pre-construction phase will last.

If you have questions or concerns about the reasons for the partial dam breach, its impacts to the park, stormwater, or pedestrian access to the park and across 3rd Street, please come to this meeting. This is a rare opportunity to meet with the DEP. Let us know you’re coming by RSVP-ing!

Temporary Pedestrian Bridge?

Friends of Glen Providence Park has requested Media Borough Council to consider the construction of a temporary pedestrian bridge during this pre-construction phase. We feel it is in the best interest of Media Borough and Upper Providence to maintain this connection.

Why maintain the connection:

  • Safety: We are concerned that people will attempt to find a way to cross the breach that is unsafe.
  • Economics: Many people walk to Media for shopping and great events like Dining Under the Stars. Some people commute to work from UP to Media on foot — across Broomall’s Dam on 3rd Street!
  • Community: 3rd Street is a valuable connection between Upper Providence and Media neighbors and activities.
  • Best Practices: It is a PennDOT recommendation in their Design Manual to continue pedestrian access during construction (Chapter 6.14, Pedestrian Facilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act, 2012.).
  • Time: 2-3 years is a long time to have this connection broken.

If you’d like to see a temporary pedestrian bridge, please come to the meeting and make your voice heard.

In addition, it is our understanding that the 3rd Street entrance to the park will be closed while the DEP is removing the dam, which is expected to take about 60 days.

The meeting is on Wednesday, February 22, from 6:00-7:30 at the Parlor Room of the Media Borough Municipal Complex, 301 N. Jackson Street, Media.

 

Be informed! You can read an overview and history of the 3rd Street Project, with links to past articles, in the menu above. And you can learn much more about the 3rd Street project and Broomall’s Dam, and find detailed information about the partial dam removal by reading our past articles in the Dam/Bridge Category – and by exploring the Tags – on the right.

 

Friends of Glen Providence Park continues to support dam removal and stream restoration with an environmentally sensitive connection between Upper Providence and Media, which will minimize damage to the park. 

 

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