Traffic at Trap Pond State Park to be affected Sept. 23-27

Traffic at Trap Pond State Park to be affected Sept. 23-27 by dam valve repair

DOVER (Sept. 16, 2013) – The northbound lane of Trap Pond Road at Trap Pond State Park will have intermittent closures between September 23-27 and a bike path along the road also will be closed while a valve repair is made to an outlet gate at Trap Pond Dam.

The project calls for either repairing or replacing the existing, inoperable low-level outlet gate at Trap Pond Dam, located along Pepper Pond Road at the state park near Laurel.

A temporary steel-sheet pile cofferdam will be constructed in the pond in front of the gate, allowing water to be pumped out and sediment removed between the gate and the cofferdam to give DNREC Division of Parks & Recreation staff the opportunity to make a thorough inspection of the gate.

Also as part of the first phase of the repair project, the pond’s water level will be lowered 6-12 inches below the crest of the existing concrete spillway for approximately one week to allow park staff to install new riser boards across the spillway. Once the new boards are installed, the pond’s water level will return to the normal pool level as rainfall fills it.

The second phase calls for repairing or replacing the low-level outlet gate at Trap Pond Dam, with the temporary cofferdam remaining in place until the gate repair/replacement has been completed.