CITY OF POTSDAM, New York (WWNY) – In the week after flash flooding closed more than 100 roads and bridges in St. Lawrence County, Potsdam City crews worked around the clock to clear their share.
Bagdad Road in the city is one of the many roads washed away by the floods.
A stream that is normally only a few inches high rises to at least 12 feet.
“It’s a small creek about 8 to 10 feet below the road surface, and the water was 2 feet above the road. It was about 12 feet high, which is not usually the case with smaller creeks,” said John Keleher, the city’s road superintendent.
Workers spent most of Thursday repairing the collapsed road and sewer, which will be replaced by two new sewers.
“We will double the number of streams so that they can hopefully hold more water in the future if such incidents continue to occur,” Keleher said.
Another of these roads is located on the city border between Potsdam and Stockholm and is Pleasant Valley Road. It has now been reopened thanks to the joint efforts of both road construction authorities.
“Stockholm has shared the costs and obligations for repairs with us,” Keleher said.
Nearby Wheeler Road is still open, but the culvert has collapsed and will be replaced next week.
Keleher estimates the cost of overtime and materials at about $70,000 to $100,000. City Councilor Marty Miller hopes for compensation.
“We’re hoping that once John gets on top of things – he’s been counting data daily – we’ll fill out the form and send it to the county, who will then send it to the state,” Miller said.
Keleher says more problems are likely to arise in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, he’s thankful for his crew.
“They are not afraid to put things aside to help the community,” he said.
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