DelDOT Blogs

In an effort to facilitate ongoing overhead utility relocations, DelDOT has modified the restrictions on lane closures during the peak season for SR26. The peak season begins May 15 and ends September 30. Lane closures during the peak season would normally be restricted to the hours between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

DelDOT has modified the hours during which lanes can be closed on SR26. During the off-peak season, lane closures are permitted from 9 a.m. to dusk. These hours will remain in effect through June 30, 2013. From July 1, 2013 to September 30, 2013 lane closures will be restricted to the hours between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., Monday through Friday morning.

Lane closures will not be allowed on Holidays and Weekends. DelDOT will monitor the impacts of lane closures and maintains the rights to modify the time restrictions based off of delays.

The SR26 Project Team held its second construction working group meeting at 10:00 a. m. on January 28, 2013. DelDOT Secretary Shailen Bhatt was in attendance as well as the newly elected State Representative Ron Gray, along with representatives from Verizon and Delmarva Power and the rest of the working group. The meeting included a review of SR26 Detour Routes, updates on utility relocation and tree clearing for the SR26 Mainline, and a discussion of work hours and restrictions for the project. A powerpoint presentation was given as well, which is available for viewing on the project website along with the meeting agenda and project displays.

Frequently Asked Questions – SR 26 Mainline Project

You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers about the SR 26 Mainline construction project

Q:  When will the next public information meeting be held for the SR 26 Mainline Project?

A:  The next public informational meeting for the project will be held in Spring 2013. This will be an opportunity for DelDOT to share the schedule and phasing for the project with residents, businesses, and visitors.   

Q:  I’ve heard there is a Working Group formed for the project.  What is that for?

A:  A working group, made up of businesses, elected officials, and residents with various interests, has been formed.   This group will receive information from the project team and share it in the community, and will bring concerns back to the project team for discussion.  All working group minutes will be posted on the website.

Q:  How can I obtain information about the SR26 project?

A:  There are several ways to get information about the project. 

• Check out the www.sr26.deldot.gov website and blog
• You can subscribe to http://www.deldot.gov/information/projects/sr26/index.shtml, click on Subscribe to sign up to receive alerts for the SR26 Mainline Project.
• Review Working Group meeting minutes as they are posted on the project website
• Also keep an eye out for local newspaper articles as their will often be press releases sent to media for publication.
• Contact DelDOT Public Relations at 302-760-2080 or 800-652-5600 or dotpr@state.de.us

Q:  I see work occurring this fall on SR 26.  Is the SR 26 Mainline Project underway? 

A:  The work you are seeing this fall and winter is advanced utility relocation work, which is being done prior to roadway construction. It is imperative that utility poles be relocated prior to roadway construction so that the project can proceed without interruption.  Utility pole relocation is performed by crews that are under the direction of utility companies, not DelDOT or its contractors. Road construction is expected to begin in fall 2013.

Q:  Is this project similar to the one completed in Bethany on SR 26 in 2001?

A:  Yes, In 2001, SR26 in Bethany from SR 1 to Assawoman Canal was reconstructed with a center turn lane, shoulders and sidewalks.  The SR 26 Mainline Project will extend the three lane section in Bethany from the Assawoman Canal to Clarksville.  Please go to the project website and look through the project displays for more information.

Q:  Will work occur at night or during the day?

A:  The work schedule is still being determined.  On October 11, 2012 DelDOT sent out night work surveys to businesses and residents whose properties abut SR 26.   The results were tallied on November 16, and it was found that night work is supported by the community.  In addition to daytime work, night work WILL BE INCLUDED on SR 26.  

Q:  Will work occur during the summer and what hours will they be working?

 A:  DelDOT is sensitive to the seasonal traffic patterns in the state’s beach resort communities and will make every effort to schedule work in a manner that respects the needs of businesses, residents and visitors to these areas.  It is important to understand, however, that the road construction is very weather dependent and the most effective use of taxpayer dollars requires that work be performed in the summer.  We will be working with the project Working Group and our contractors to arrange a schedule that completes the work within a reasonable time period, while managing the summer traffic volumes to the best of our ability.    

Q:  What lessons has DelDOT learned from previous projects that will allow this project to proceed more smoothly?

A:  DelDOT has learned several lessons with recent projects:

• Utility relocation work cannot impede roadway construction. DelDOT has worked very closely with the affected utility companies to ensure that roadway construction is not slowed or stopped by utility relocation work.
• Night work was well received on other projects, so we will utilize it on the SR 26 project.  This helps the project reach completion faster.
• Information sharing is key, so DelDOT plans to keep the public informed through its Working Group, public meetings, press releases, and via the project website.  DelDOT encourages everyone to check the website regularly, as well as to keep an eye out for project-related news stories in the local newspapers.  We will also be maximizing the use of social media to spread the word and expectation of impact to the public on this project.
• We will vary the phases/locations of the work.  This means we will work in Phase 1 and Phase 3 at the same time, and then work at Phase 2 and Phase 4 at the same time, thereby lessening the impact to businesses and residents in the same immediate area.
• We are making the contract more specific to address work phasing, lane availability, hours of work, etc.

Q:   Will SR 26 be detoured at any point during construction? 

A:  The only time SR 26 will be detoured is during the bridge replacements.  There are two bridges that need to be replaced, and traffic will be detoured onto the recently rebuilt roads to the south of SR 26 during this time.

Q:  Once the project is underway, will DelDOT use variable message (VMS) boards to advise motorists of the work occurring on SR 26?

A:  DelDOT will use VMS boards to advise traffic of work occurring on SR 26. 

Q:  Is DelDOT planning to reach out to the cycling community or pedestrians to explain the SR 26 project?

A:  DelDOT’s press releases will include information pertinent to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.  Pedestrian and bike paths, where they currently exists will be maintained.  However, for safety reasons, DelDOT cautions pedestrians and cyclists when entering active work zones.  

A great deal of other information is available on this website.  Take a look around, and come back often as information will be updated regularly.

On October 11, 2012, DelDOT sent 194 surveys via certified mail to the property owners within the SR26 Mainline project limits. The survey is required by law in Delaware when DelDOT is considering doing road work during night time hours. According to the law, however the majority vote determines whether or not night work will be permitted. Also according to the law, each survey that is sent that DelDOT does not receive a response for is considered a vote supporting night work.

The deadline for responding to the survey was November 15, 2012 and the results of the survey have been tallied. Of the 194 surveys sent, DelDOT received 77 responses – 68 supporting night work and 9 not supporting night work. 117 surveys were not returned.

Based on the survey results, DelDOT will incorporate night work into it’s plans for SR26. DelDOT is thankful to those who participated in the survey.

DelDOT, Delmarva Power, and Verizon met this past Monday to discuss the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the start date of early action utility relocations on SR 26, coordination of relocation work with other ongoing projects, inspection issues and other outstanding issues affecting the bulk of the Mainline relocations.

Click here to read the minutes from this past Monday’s meeting. 

Editor’s Note:  DelDOT continues to keep the public informed about The SR 26 construction project.  In this post, we share the biography of SR 26 Project Manager Tom Banez:

 Tom Banez has been a resident of Dover, Delaware since 1966, and spent most of his summers in North Bethany.  He graduated from Dover High School in 1981,  began to work for DelDOT in 1985, and joined DelDOT’s Road Design section in 1987 as a Highway Engineering Technician.  He graduated from Delaware State University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering Technology degree. As an engineer at DelDOT, he was responsible for the design of the SR404A Bypass to the north of Bridgeville, as well as the SR26 improvement project in Bethany Beach that was completed in 2001. As a project manager in Project Development South,  he took on the management of the SR26 Detour Routes and SR26 Mainline projects in 2002, and has been working on these projects ever since. Additionally, he manages a squad of engineers and a consultant engineering firm (Century Engineering), who work on various other highway engineering projects throughout Kent and Sussex County in Delaware.   Mr. Banez is a registered professional engineer in the state of Delaware.

DelDOT is currently determining the work hours for the SR 26 Mainline Project, and would like to incorporate night time work hours into the contract, in addition to daytime hours. In doing so, DelDOT is required to seek property owners’ input as to their desire to have the contractor work during night time hours or not. Night work surveys have been mailed to those property owners whose land abuts SR 26.

DelDOT asks that those who receive the survey in the mail respond by November 15, so that DelDOT receives a clear indication if night work is acceptable to residents and businesses that abut SR 26. Please note that if DelDOT does not receive a night work survey response by November 15, 2012 it will be taken as a YES response for night work to occur. “ The final decision to include night work or not in the SR26 Mainline Project will be based on the majority of the responses received by the Department.

Please advise those you may know who live along SR 26 that it is very important that they respond to the survey. This is a chance for their voice to be heard on this important aspect of the project.

Attached is the link to the minutes of the first meeting of the Route 26 Working Group

2012-09-24 – SR-26 Working Group Minutes -

On September 24, 2012, the first Working Group Meeting of the Route 26 Project was held at the South Costal Library in Bethany Beach, Delaware.  During this first working group an explanation of the project was given to members by the design team.  The attached Power Point was presented to explain the project in detail.

Working Group Presentation 9.24.12

Please note there will be minimal to no impact to the public due to this work.

As DelDOT continues to plan ahead for the construction of SR 26 Improvement Project, it wishes to advise motorists and residents that some initial survey work and field review work related to utility relocation will be occurring this summer.  There should be little to no traffic impacts for the activities noted below.

DelDOT and representatives from the utility companies will be conducting field reviews on SR 26 between St. Georges Church in Clarksville and the Assawoman Canal to identify future utility pole locations and the new state right-of-way.   This will require surveyors to place wooden stakes along the new right-of-way to help identify the location of proposed utilities.  This will be followed by field reviews conducted by the project team and the utility companies.

 This utility coordination is essential to minimizing the impacts of utility relocation work during construction, as well as impacts to the surrounding communities and traveling public, as we prepare for construction on SR 26.  DelDOT will be working closely with the utility companies to ensure that the location of the proposed utilities meets the needs of the project, all while trying to minimize any impacts to adjoining properties.  Once the field review has been completed over the next few months, DelDOT will be removing the wooden stakes.  Public cooperation during this process is greatly appreciated.