Bethlehem's Colonial Industrial Quarter flooded; Lehigh River remains in check

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

The Monocacy Creek spilled over its banks, and Bethlehem's Colonial Industrial Quarter is flooding.

Water levels appear much higher than flooding earlier this month that forced the closure of two Musikfest venues in the same area.

However, as of late this morning, it didn't appear to be as substantial as flooding in 2004 from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan.

The flooding hasn't reached the Conestoga Court condos off low-lying Conestoga Road. The condos have flooded in the past. Sandbags rested against the entrances to the condo, and a handwritten sign on the first-floor parking garage read "Do not use."

Conestoga Road is closed to vehicles, but that didn't stop people from walking down the road to scope out any damage. There were dozens standing at the edge of the floodwaters, snapping pictures and chatting on cell phones. On the Broad Street bridge and the parking garage behind Main Street Commons, onlookers lined up to get a bird's-eye view of the flood.

Other than the condos, few residences and businesses lie in the quarter. Several historic buildings, which have been damaged in the past by floods, also are sustaining damage from this most recent one. The water had crept up to the first-floor window sill in one of the buildings, and historic markers were almost completely submerged.

Monocacy Creek Flooding Monocacy Creek Flooding The Monocacy Creek flooded at the Bethlehem Historic Quarter after heavy rains were brought to the area by Hurricane Irene. Watch video

Sand Island was still open as of noon. The Lehigh River was not flooding, and the Lehigh canal hadn't spilled over.

Elsewhere in Center City, tree limbs dotted the sidewalks of Main Street and some roads in nearby residential areas were closed off because of downed trees.

A tree fell on a house in on West Market Street, between Eighth and Ninth avenues. There didn't appear to be any major structural damage to the house.

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