Recognizing the seriousness of high water surges and flooding and the resulting impact on the city’s critical Dyckman Avenue Bridge, the South Haven City Council has issued the green light for key repairs to protect that infrastructure from future damage.
At their City Council meeting last night, council members approved a quote from Strain Electric to make necessary repairs to the city’s Dyckman Avenue bascule bridge. The specific repairs involve raising HPU control cabinets due to the high water levels of the Great Lakes, resulting in flooding of the Black River.
Strong winds out of the west and heavy rains occurred in late November 2019 resulting in a surge in the Black River for a period of time. That surge caused the river to rise above the bottom of the HPU cabinet doors, which house the motors for the hydraulic system to operate the bridge. The cabinets are sealed and remained water-tight during that surge event, however staff does not advise relying on the seals for any prolonged period of time. Since that event occurred, city staff say they have not witnessed the water rise to that level again, but fear it may do so during the summer or fall.
The repairs include fabrication of two stainless steel brackets to raise the HPU cabinets, reinstallation of pipes and wiring, and energizing and testing the system. The total estimated cost of the repairs runs to $19,380.
Raising the HPU control cabinets will lessen the chance of water reaching the bottom of the cabinets in the future. Work is slated to get underway next week, the week of April 20th, 2020.
