News Release

Old Mine Road Repairs Resume between Millbrook and Flatbrookville

Date: March 16, 2020
Contact: Kathleen Sandt, 5702349144
Contact: Richard McKenna, 570-296-6952, extension 19

Delaware Water Gap NRA News Release

Release date:  March 16, 2020
Contact(s):     Kathleen Sandt, Public Affairs Specialist
 [e-mail]; [phone]
                        Richard McKenna, Park Project Manager
                        [e-mail]; [phone]

Old Mine Road Repairs Resume between Millbrook and Flatbrookville
BUSHKILL, PA- National Park Service officials announced today that the second phase of construction on the section of Old Mine Road between Millbrook and Flatbrookville is set to begin on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. The one-mile section of road on the New Jersey side of the park between mile-markers 13 and 14 was reconstructed and paved last fall during the first phase of the rehabilitation project. Work is expected to be completed by the end of June.

“Construction will resume on the storm drainage rehabilitation portion of the project including ditches, culverts, and pipes, all of which are all necessary to ensure that the new pavement lasts a long time and that natural resources like adjacent wetlands and the Big Flatbrook Creek are protected from harmful runoff,” said park engineer Richard McKenna. The work schedule has been structured to provide the least inconvenience possible to visitors and commuters who use that popular section of road.

Work will take place between 7 am and 6 pm on weekdays and will include:

• completing the stormwater drainage systems; 
• applying an asphalt finishing surface;
• installing guardrail that meets current standards at the intersection with Blue Mountain Lakes Road;
• line striping and installation of signs;
• seeding and restoration of disturbed slopes.

Traffic Impacts: Motorists in that area can expect single-lane closures on weekdays during construction. Flaggers will be on-site to ensure that traffic is able to safely flow through the construction zone with minimal delays, however there may be extended delays of up to 30 minutes during some phases of the work. These longer delays will not take place before 9 am or after 3 pm to accommodate commuters. Additionally, this section of road will be fully closed for no more than 5 days during paving, fog sealing, and line striping operations. These closures will be announced a week in advance at www.Facebook.com/DelWaterGapNPS and are subject to changes based on weather. During these road closures, signs will be posted on roads coming into the area to alert motorists.

If evening closures are necessary, they will only be allowed on weeknights, between the hours of 9 pm and 5 am, and they will be announced a week in advance.  No work is expected to take place on weekends or on holidays, and no work will take place on Fridays preceding holiday weekends.
This work is part of a $3.1 million project funded through the Federal Lands Transportation Program to completely rehabilitate the roadway from the sub-base up to the driving surface and to rehabilitate drainage systems to improve stormwater management and water quality along that stretch of road.  

As part of a separate road repair project, the section of Old Mine Road between Worthington State Forest and Millbrook Village will be closed from 8 am to 3 pm daily between March 16 and March 18 so that workers can fill some of the larger potholes in an area where significant stormwater runoff from Kittatinny Ridge is impacting both pavement conditions and the ability of the park’s road crew to make repairs due to persistent standing water.

“Old Mine Road is one of the park’s premier cultural resources and this rehabilitation project will help us maintain it in good condition for years to come,” said Superintendent Sula Jacobs.   “It serves as the primary access to the New Jersey side of the park for visitors, residents, and business owners and many people visit the park just to take a drive on Old Mine Road and enjoy the scenery and historic sites along the way.” Old Mine Road is one of the oldest roads in continuous use in the country and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

For more information on Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area call Bushkill Meeting Center at [phone]; visit our website at www.nps.gov/dewa; or follow us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DelWaterGapNPS. 

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.