The Gateway Slope Project is underway in Lansdowne! It will create a beautiful and welcoming “Gateway” to our wonderful town. “Gateway Slope Notes” are notes by Parks and Recreation Board Member Carol Martsolf, who is a professional civil engineer in Pennsylvania. In these notes, Carol shares educational updates and some basic insights so Lansdowne residents can be updated on the project.
Gateway Slope Notes #15: What is a Floodplain?
We know the Gateway Slope Project is very close to Darby Creek..... but how close? The great news is that is it not within the 100-year floodplain! Please see the attached map from the Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) website. You can see the floodplain limits. A floodplain is an area of low-lying ground adjacent to a river or creek, prone to flooding. Any construction work that occurs within a floodplain requires special permits. If earth disturbance is over 1 acre, there are also special permits required. Fortunately, the earth disturbance area for this project is less than 1 acre! This information is typically shown on the Erosion and Sediment Control Plan sheet in the construction plans. The PASDA website was developed by Penn State University and is a great resource! www.PASDA.psu.edu #GatewaySlopeNotes
Gateway Slope Notes #16: Survey Stakes are Here!!
So, it’s now getting exciting! The surveyors staked out the control points and benchmarks! Remember we discussed survey markers in Gateway Slope Note # 6? There are a lot of them out there now, but marked with a stake and a ribbon so they can be seen more easily with all the grass and ground cover. These survey markers are not to be disturbed as they are for future and repeated reference. This is to ensure the built project will match the construction plans! Let’s take a look and see what they are! You can see the pictures to decipher some of them. Some are benchmarks, which are survey markers that indicate elevation. Some are referencing horizontal curvature as PC (point of curve) and PT (point of tangent) are written on the stakes. (Survey markers are metal driven steel pins. The stakes are right next to them.) The proposed pedestrian path will have some straight sections but also some curves. There will also be walls - straight and on curves. This is such an exciting part of the project as these survey control points will be referenced throughout the project to ensure accurate measurements! #GatewaySlopeNotes
