PINE GROVE - Sediment deposited under four bridges in the Pine Grove area because of September flooding will be removed in the spring.
Sean Brown, spokesman for PennDOT District 5, Allentown, said the office applied in December for the completion of the work.
"We don't anticipate the closure of any bridges," he said.
The bridges at Route 3002 Lake Road, Route 443 at the east end of Pine Grove, Route 895 by the borough garage and Route 645 outside the borough in Pine Grove Township will be addressed, according to a press release from Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125.
Traffic might be impacted slightly, Brown said.
"We anticipate some lane restrictions," he said.
Tobash said the work could start in early spring and be finished by the end of May.
"It's an important endeavor for PennDOT to get this done," he said.
Removal of the sediment is weather permitting and could take "anywhere from a few weeks to a month," Brown said.
How much ground will be taken away is based on the permit, Brown said.
"The weather (speaking of the flooding in the borough last year) has impeded the progress in Pine Grove many times now," Tobash said, about the flooding in the borough last year.
The state Department of Environmental Protection must issue the permits.
When that would be is unknown, both Brown and Tobash said.
Pine Grove Mayor Kimberly Brown-Zerbe said the borough is grateful for the assistance that PennDOT is providing.
"We love what PennDOT is doing for us," she said Tuesday.
Removal of the sediment will help in preventing more flooding, she said.
"It's our hope that they (PennDOT) actually get to us before there's a spring thaw or a spring rain," she said.
The borough realizes that the residents of Pine Grove were not the only ones that encountered devastation because of the flood, Brown-Zerbe said.
Rain from September flooding in the borough - more than 15 inches - caused widespread damage in Pine Grove.