RED HOUSE — A contractor continues demolition of the 87-year-old Red House Lake dam and bridge in the $6 million replacement project.
Dirt fill from the bridge abutment closest to the Red House Administration Building was being excavated Wednesday by a crew from Union Concrete and Construction Corp., of West Seneca.
The concrete replacement bridge is expected to be delivered in three sections by mid-November, Allegany State Park officials said. Off-site construction of the bridge began on Oct. 16. It will be hauled to the bridge site on three special trucks.
Embankment work on the downstream side of the earthen dam is progressing and all tree stumps have been removed and new fill material brought in. A rough trail is visible along the downstream side of the earthen dam.
The lakeside stone embankment is nearly complete. It includes three “bump-outs” for fishing access to the lake.
Over the next two weeks, Union Concrete and Construction will continue to monitor the level of Red House Lake on a daily basis. The drawdown of the lake had stalled at 7 feet for the past few weeks, since work on the dam did not require it to be lower.
Much of the lake has returned to the creek beds that were there before the lake was created in 1930.
The drawdown of the lake started Sept. 8. The most the lake will be lowered is 8 feet. In the meantime, a minimum flow is required in Red House Creek below the dam. Water is diverted around the dam and piped back into the creek to maintain the water flow downstream.
Park officials said favorable weather has allowed the project to move along very well.
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)