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Written on: May 18th, 2012 in Route 54
5/17/2012 – Crews continue to battle the weather as work continues to complete paving of the turn lanes and entrances on the westbound lanes. Paving work began Thursday in the eastbound direction for turn lanes and side streets. On Friday, May 18, paving work is expected to be performed in the entrance to North Bay Marina (westbound SR 54), as well as on the turn lanes and entrances in the eastbound direction. The entrance to the gas station and the shopping center with Mio Fratella’s are scheduled to be paved on Friday as well. Turn lane paving should be able to be accommodated with lane shifts on SR 54, while entrance work will have some impacts as only half of an entrance will be available at a time.
For this weekend, paving work is scheduled for Saturday, May 19. Work is expected to take place in turn lanes and side streets. We plan to avoid business entrances on Saturday. The one possible exception is the entrance to the shopping center with the Mio Fratella restaurant. We have agreed to only work until 11 am in that entrance. If the full entrance cannot be completed by 11 am Friday the 18th, we will finish the other half on Saturday morning before 11 am. Turn lane paving should be able to be accommodated with lane shifts on SR 54, while entrance work will have some impacts as only half of an entrance will be available at a time.
Looking to next week, the contractor should finish any remaining paving of the eastbound turn lanes, entrances and driveways off of Route 54 early in the week.
Concrete sidewalk, curb ramp and driveway work on the westbound lanes is nearing completion. Once the westbound side is completed, the concrete driveway work on the eastbound lanes will begin. Final pavement striping, electrical work, topsoiling, seeding, and clean-up work will continue through Wednesday or Thursday of next week.
Prior to the Memorial Day weekend the contractor will remove as many barrels and construction materials as possible. However, it is noted that not all signs and barrels will be removed, because the contractor will return after Memorial Day to complete some items. We don’t believe this work will require lane closures, but will provide notification if this is not the case.
DelDOT believes that all lanes and shoulders should be completed and in final configuration by May 23, 2012, thus allowing DelDOT to reach the goal of substantial completion by Memorial Day weekend.
Written on: May 15th, 2012 in Indian River Inlet Bridge
On Sunday, May 6, over 2,000 people joined DelDOT Secretary Shailen Bhatt to celebrate the history and the future of the Charles W. Cullen Bridge at the Indian River Inlet. The history of this location is one of several different bridges, an ever-changing environment, and the emergence of Delaware as one of the east coast’s premier resort locations.
In January of this year, Secretary Bhatt hosted Governor Markell, Senator Carper, and others as DelDOT opened the southbound side of the bridge to traffic. Since then, anticipation has been building for the time when we would officially dedicate the bridge and prepare to open it fully to vehicles and pedestrians. In the coming weeks before Memorial Day weekend, DelDOT employees will work with our contractor, George & Lynch Construction, to open the northbound side of the bridge, as well as the pedestrian walkway, which will usher in a new era in multi-modal transportation along the Delaware coast and eastern Sussex County.
For the first time since bridges have spanned the inlet, this crossing will not be subjected to the extreme tidal conditions that have affected, and sometimes destroyed, previous bridges. It is through the ingenuity and work of bridge builders Skanska Civil Southeast and their subcontractors, as well as our members of Team DelDOT, that this new span has risen and will stand for many years to come.
The members of the team that brought this bridge to fruition hailed not only from Delaware, but from around the world. Each of them came with one common goal: to build this bridge. Today I can say that they have achieved their goal. As each of them go on to other projects both within the United States and abroad, they all are leaving their mark right here in Delaware. Those who will cross this bridge each day will owe a great deal to the members of this team. They have given their best for the state of Delaware.
The ceremonies on Sunday were in part about re-dedicating the bridge structure to Charles W. Cullen. You may not readily know who he is, but the work that he did in the past allows for the Indian River Inlet to be the economic and tourism jewel it is today. Mr. Cullen was born in Georgetown in 1865 and practiced law as a member of the Delaware Bar Association. In 1930, he became a member of the State Highway Commission and sat on the Commission until 1940. Between 1938 and 1939, he served as Chairman of the Commission. Throughout his life, he advocated for the inlet to be permanently established at its current location. He also worked to promote the internal development of the Indian River Bay and the economic and recreational benefits it had to offer. It is because of his drive and vision that this area of Delaware has become the destination that it is today. It was because of his dedication to the Indian River and its inlet, the State Highway Commission, and the citizens of Delaware that the second bridge to span the inlet was dedicated in his name in 1940.
When they were building the original Charles W. Cullen Bridge, which was completed in 1940, other than the design, there were some pretty evident differences. The bridge of today had a price tag of $150 million; the 1940 bridge cost $165,900. The pedestrian walkway on the new span is 12-feet-wide, the 1940 bridge had a 4-foot-wide sidewalk. The dimensions of the new bridge have grown as the Delaware coast has grown.
All Delaware residents can now mark the symbolic end of the bridge construction project. Work on the demolition of the old bridge, along with improvements to restore and enhance various State Park and campground amenities, will be moving forward in the near future. Over the next few years, the Indian River Inlet area will be reborn into a new treasure of the Delaware coast.
For more information about the Charles W. Cullen Bridge at the Indian River Inlet, please visit irib.deldot.gov.
Written on: May 11th, 2012 in Route 54
It was a very productive week on the Route 54 construction project this past week, as crews were able to complete the final lift of asphalt, completing the mainline and several turn lanes.
On Sunday, May 6 and Monday May 7, crews paved both the eastbound and westbound lanes of the project including all through and bike lanes. On Tuesday, May 8, crews completely paved the center turn lane. This past week the road was temporarily striped in its final configuration.
As for today, May 10, crews are not paving as yesterday’s rain has left pavement wet. However, tomorrow, Friday, May 11, and early next week crews will be paving the westbound and eastbound turn lanes and side street tie-ins. This work will require some minimal lane closures on the side streets but two lanes of traffic will be maintained on Route 54 mainline.
Looking towards this weekend of May 12-13, DelDOT and business owners agreed that there will be no paving or other work this weekend. There will be no lane closures throughout the weekend.
Looking to next week, the contractor will continue to work on paving the eastbound turn lanes, entrances and driveways off of Route 54. This will require minimal lane closures on the side streets but two lanes of traffic will be maintained on Route 54 mainline.
If weather permits by Wednesday, May 16, the contractor will be installing the permanent lane striping.. Other striping work includes bike symbols, turn arrows, etc. and will take approximately three days to complete. Through late next week the contractor will continue finishing up concrete, sidewalk and curb work, as well as job site cleanup. As many signs and barrels and construction materials as possible will be removed. However, it is noted that not all signs and barrels will be removed, because the contractor will return after Memorial Day to complete punch list items. We don’t believe this work will require lane closures, but will provide notification if this is not the case.
DelDOT believes that all lanes and shoulders should be completed and in final configuration by May 23, 2012, thus allowing DelDOT to reach the goal of substantial completion by Memorial Day weekend.
For more information, please visit the project page.
Written on: May 4th, 2012 in Route 54
DelDOT wishes to note that there was an unexpected lane closure to allow for the installation of a pipe at the east end of the job. That lane closure should be pulled up by 2pm at the latest. DelDOT appreciates hearing from business owners about this issue, and will handle it accordingly with the contractor.
Today the contractor is working on some concrete work, as the weather is iffy with thunderstorms for today and tomorrow (so we didn’t want to start a full paving operation because if we do and it rains the whole batch of asphalt must be discarded). There will be no work occurring Saturday, May 5, and no lane closures are planned for Saturday, May 5.
Because of a favorable weather forecast, the contractor does plan to pave Sunday, May 6 as well as next week. There will be an early morning lane closure on Sunday to get the operation started. Otherwise there should be minimal lane closures on Sunday during the paving operation, as paving will occur in the area that is currently closed to traffic. Although the Sunday lane closure may cause some inconvenience, we need to work on as many available days possible to ensure that we can be near completion by Memorial Day weekend. We apologize for the late notice of this change, but activities and schedules are changing frequently because of the less than ideal weather we experienced this past week.
Some of you have expressed a lack of oversight with the contractor. There are inspectors on site at all times during the contractor’s operations. These individuals continually monitor the work to insure it is being done safely and in accordance with all applicable regulations. The inspectors maintain constant communication with the contractor’s foreman and relay updates to DelDOT on a daily basis.
DelDOT apologizes for the inconvenience to motorists, businesses and visitors to Route 54. We continue to work towards our goal of having the road completely open by Memorial Day weekend.
Written on: May 3rd, 2012 in Route 54
May 3, 2012 – Progress continued on the Route 54 construction project this past week, as crews were able to complete the second lift of asphalt.
We wanted to start the final lift of pavement this week as well, but intermittent showers made the operation tentative. We typically will not start paving the surface course if there is not an assurance of a full day’s paving, because we do not want to have to stop the operation. Every time we stop for the day a joint is required in the pavement which can become a maintenance issue, so we try to schedule the paving such that we minimize the number of joints in the final surface. We held off on the paving this week, but other work such as sidewalks, form work for driveways, topsoil, and site clearing continued to occur as weather permitted.
In looking ahead to the week of May 7, the ten-day forecast does contain scattered showers, but we are hopeful the contractor can move forward with placement of the final pavement layer. It is expected that with 4 to 5 full days of paving we should be at a point where all of the travel lanes are completed.
Crews will begin on the northside, and switch traffic as necessary as they move to pave the southside of the road. We believe we should be able to get a good week’s worth of work in the next seven to ten days, weather permitting. During the paving operation noted above we should be able to maintain two lanes of traffic the majority of the time.
Once the third lift of paving is complete on the main travel lanes, crews will work on paving turn lanes, development entrances and private driveway entrances off of Route 54.
During our weekly conference call two issues were noted:
We continue to make progress in an effort to reach our goal of substantially completing the project by Memorial Day weekend.
For more information, please visit the project page.
Written on: April 30th, 2012 in Elkton Road
Greggo & Ferrara will continue to grade for curb and sidewalk followed by placement of curb and sidewalk from Lincoln Dr to Veterans Dr with flagger controlled intermittent lane closures. Drainage pipe installation will continue on Apple Rd followed by Verizon underground duct relocation; this work is behind the PCC barrier placed for the southbound Apple Rd closure. Intersection reconstruction and paving will occur this weekend with the closure of Casho Mill Rd/Elkton Rd intersection.
Note: Casho Mill Rd will close from 8 p.m. Friday 5-4 to 10 p.m. Sunday 5-6. Apple Rd southbound closure will be reopened during the Casho Mill Rd closure and will be closed again on Monday 5-7.
Written on: April 27th, 2012 in Route 54
April 26, 2012 – DelDOT is making good progress on the Route 54 construction project, despite a few rain days during the week of April 18-April 26.
The contractor is continuing to work on installing the three lifts of asphalt pavement. On the north side of the project, the first lift has been completed, and the second lift of asphalt is 90% complete. The contractor believes the third lift of asphalt will be started around May 1 or 2, but the logistics are still being worked out with the contractor.
We continue to work on finishing concrete work throughout the site and note that the sidewalks on the north side are 60% complete. Some of this is handwork, so it is more time-consuming. The contractor will continue to work on the concrete work into early next week. By May 1st all sidewalk work should be done on the north side of the road.
Material deliveries to the site have been meeting our expectations, and we are having productive conversations with the contractor.
During our weekly conference call two issues were raised:
We continue to make progress in an effort to reach our goal of substantially completing the project by Memorial Day weekend.
For more information, please visit the project page.
Written on: April 25th, 2012 in Route 54
April 13, 2012 – DelDOT will perform weekend work on April 14 and April 15 . This work is to perform paving operations and will require daytime lane restrictions on April 14 and 15. DelDOT will be working in earnest to complete as much work as possible before the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Also, DelDOT is working with the contractor to establish a work schedule that will likely increase the number of hours worked Monday through Friday, and may involve some additional weekend work according to weather and project requirements. The potential to accelerate the construction schedule was discussed today with local legislators and business owners on Route 54. As part of these discussions, DelDOT agreed to provide weekly updates as the project draws to a close.
“Our goal remains to balance the wishes of local residents who want the project finished as quickly as possible with those of some business owners who are sensitive to the impact weekend work has on their customers,” said Transportation Secretary Shailen Bhatt. “We will try to avoid the use of lane restrictions unless absolutely necessary, bring road surfaces to a smooth condition as quickly as we can, and have the project as near to completion as possible before the Memorial Day holiday weekend, if not sooner. Again the objective is to maximize daylight work hours now so that we do not impact traffic Memorial Day weekend and beyond.”
April 20, 2012 – Key Points from Route 54 Public Meeting – Wednesday, April 18, 2012
If you were able to attend out meeting, we thank you for taking time to do so. If you were unable to attend due to business commitments, we understand. The following is an overview of the key points that were presented at the meeting:
• Established goal for business owners, the community and DelDOT to have the Route 54 Improvement Project substantially complete by the Wednesday before Memorial Day. The goal for the next few weeks is to complete curbing, entrance and paving work including three levels of payment and roadway striping, so that traffic is in its final configuration.
• Construction staff is working with the contractor and the hot-mix supplier to extend work hours and work weekends for the next several weeks to maximize productivity in support of the goal.
• In addition, DelDOT is having conversations with the Vice President of the current asphalt company to increase the probability that paving asphalt will be available as needed. DelDOT is also working to secure another source (as backup) of asphalt.
• If weather or material supply impact the schedule and the contractor is only permitted to place two levels of asphalt, DelDOT and the contractor are working on contingency plan to open up the road in its final traffic configuration prior to Memorial Day weekend, and come back later to complete the final layer of paving.
• In response to several issues raised during the meeting, DelDOT will increase monitoring of the job site overall, including the contractor’s workforce, in an effort to improve the conditions on the project during these last few weeks.
• DelDOT will initiate weekly updates (via email and phone) with key business owners along the corridor and ask them to help us educate the community on the path forward. Press releases will be done as needed to keep general public informed.
• When we reach the second week of May, DelDOT will make an assessment of progress and the work schedule to determine what activities remain and whether we can complete the work by the Wednesday before Memorial Day or if we will have to suspend work and come back later to complete the job.
For more information, please visit the project page.
Written on: April 17th, 2012 in Elkton Road
Road excavation and GABC stone base placement will occur between Lincoln Dr and Veterans Dr with flagger controlled intermittent lane closures, as needed. Drainage pipe installation will continue between Veterans Dr and Apple Rd with intermittent lane closures. Fine grading of GABC stone base will occur between Casho Mill Rd and Lincoln Dr, no lane restrictions expected. Apple Rd southbound will be closed for road widening and reconstruction and is scheduled to be reopened by May 18th.
Written on: April 4th, 2012 in Route 54
As of March 26 the Contractor has added an additional crew resulting in a total of 3 crews. The crews are performing excavation of the existing roadway, minor drainage and placement/grading of stone base course for asphalt, curb and sidewalk. In addition to the 3 crews for the general contractor there is 1 crew for the concrete subcontractor placing curb. The curb is approximately 60% complete and is expected to be entirely complete in the next week or so. The concrete subcontractor is expected to begin placement of the sidewalk on April 9th and is expected to take approximately 2 weeks to complete. Placement of asphalt paving is expected to begin April 9th. The asphalt consists of multiple layers. We will begin with placement of the base course. Following that we will place a wedge course that adjusts the road to the new grades and then on top of that is another base course. The base course is expected to be approximately 90% complete by the Memorial Day holiday leaving only the small remainder of the base course, the final surface course, final striping and traffic signal work to be complete after Memorial Day.
We are doing our best to limit the use of lane closures, but in the cases where they are needed we are keeping them to a minimum length while still maintaining safety of the motorists and workers.
For more information, please visit the project page.
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