Midland Drive to close sporadically over next few weeks to allow for stream restoration work
KINGSPORT ‚¬ Restoration of the urban-impacted Madd Branch stream along Fort Henry Drive at Memorial Park gets underway this week, requiring the occasional closing of Midland Drive to allow for the modification of an existing box culvert. Closures will be managed to mitigate impact on school traffic in the morning and afternoon hours.
The modification of the box culvert will help reduce low-flow backups and erosion. Overall, the $200,000 restoration effort, funded by federal stimulus grant dollars, will install a number of structures that will result in vastly improved low-flow characteristics, and a new filtration device will be deployed to remove siltation, oils, grease and other parking lot run-off prior to the entry into the stream. The total project is expected to take about three months, and is certified to not impact on flood heights.
