Hurricane Irene brought the winds and rains. But when Arden Dam in Tuxedo failed the morning of August 28 last year, the real damage was done. The dam break sent a wave of water, mud and debris roiling down the Ramapo River, tearing out sections of the Port Jervis Line and washing through Sloatsburg. Buildings in central Sloatsburg along the train tracks were flooded out. Water once again exceeded the 100-year flood drainage maximum for the area around the Ramapo River. The storm ended any business-as-usual approach to disaster preparedness.
Gone are those expansion joints that produced the unique sound of passing trains. Goodbye to the old-time clickety-clack of the railroad track.
With the Port Jervis Line shut down all the way from to Harriman to Suffern, Metro-North Railroad had to commit to repairs. And it did. AECOM provided a detailed 42-page report and proposed plan of action, replete with pictures of washouts, bridges that need repairs, splayed, continuous welded track, intact but hanging like dangling skinny bridges, replacing stone washout areas, clearing uprooted trees, boulders and other debris.
Most critical for Sloatsburg was the repair needed on bridges that carry tracks over streams and roads and rebuilding the slopes adjacent to the river. Especially the repairs to drainage along Rt. 17: culvert repair, new concrete drain pipes, catch basins, trench drain cleaning. This mitigation will help direct heavy storm water to the Ramapo River without pooling along drainage ditches and spilling into basements and bedrooms.
Metro-North Corporate & Public Affairs provided Sloatsburg with details of improvements already made and those proposed to prevent future flooding. One noticeable change — the relative quite of trains passing through Sloatsburg. The tracks along this whole section of the Port Jervis Line are now comprised of continuous welded track or ribbon rail. Many residents in the village failed to notice when the Port Jervis Line reopened.
Gone is the old stick rail — which is bolted together with plates every 39 feet, versus every 1,500 feet with continuous welded rail. Gone are those expansion joints that produced the unique sound of passing trains. Goodbye to the old-time clickety-clack of the railroad track.The continuous rail is held in place with spring clamps and and screw spikes.
The summary of MTA improvements includes:
At Rt. 17 and Washington Avenue MTA replaced an existing 12″ culvert with a 24″ reinforced concrete pipe- MTA also cited scheduled cleanings of a 12″ pipe, 18″ and 24″ culvert boxes at this location by NYSDOT
- MTA recommends the construction of a 36″ reinforced concrete pipe to handle additional drainage at this site, with both MTA and NYSDOT sharing in the cost, scheduled for spring 2012
- MTA will clean the outlet pipe on the east right of way that ties into trench drain along Washington Avenue, as well as trench drain
- NYSDOT is scheduled to perform regular cleaning of the Washington Avenue drainage culverts/pipes
- Behind Davis Sport Shop on Rt. 17 MTA installed three 36″ reinforced concrete pipes and culvert that runs under the tracks
- MTA has requested that NYSDOT clean the existing catch basins and culverts
- Construction of a 24″ reinforced concrete pipe opposite the 24″ box culvert approximately 300 south of Park Avenue
- Recommendation that NYSDOT install two new grated inlets into the MTA’s existing 8’x10′ stone culvert, with paved or concrete swales that will lead to inlets around the existing NYSDOT catch basin
- NYSDOT to investigate the relocation of an existing Verizon duct bank from an existing catch basin that currently restricts water flow — NYSDOT will then repair or replace the existing catch basin
