NEWS

I-95/US 202, US 13 closures ahead

Melissa Nann Burke
The News Journal
  • Paving will require overnight and weekend ramp or lane closures at the U.S. 202/I-95 interchange near Wilmington.
  • The restrictions include full closures of northbound I-95 the weekend of Nov. 7 and of southbound I-95 the weekend of Nov. 14.
  • Bridge work is closing southbound U.S. 13 near Wilmington Manor between I-295 and Del. 141 this weekend.

As crews prepare to wrap up construction at the U.S. 202/I-95 interchange north of Wilmington, paving will require a series of overnight and weekend ramp or lane closures over the next several weeks, officials say.

Traffic stalls on southbound U.S. 202 near Wilmington at the on-ramps to I-95 in June.

The restrictions include full closures of northbound I-95 the weekend of Nov. 7 and of southbound I-95 the weekend of Nov. 14.

The Delaware Department of Transportation is urging through-travelers to take I-495 as an alternate during the scheduled closures. Warning and detour signs will be posted in the area, according to DelDOT.

DelDOT and contractor Mumford & Miller Concrete Inc. had hoped to conclude the three-year project earlier this year, but Mumford decided to demobilize during the emergency shutdown of the I-495 bridge over the Christina River in Wilmington this summer.

"Once 495 was taken out, we couldn't do any lane closures or anything on 95. It really restricted what work we could do," said Vernon Lawton, area engineer for DelDOT.

The closure increased traffic volumes on I-95 in Wilmington to such an extent that the contractor found it difficult to move materials and equipment to and from the site, Lawton said.

Crews had started the process of milling the southbound lanes of I-95 before the emergency I-495 closure, and the surface of 95 began degrading as a result of the detour, officials said. Workers had to close the highway one night in early June to lay down a thin layer of asphalt to protect the roadway.

"We wanted to do this paving back in July and August, and here we are in October," Lawton said. "The problem is going to be weather. It's about a month's worth of paving, so there's a lot of stuff that's going on."

The project, now estimated at $33 million for construction and related costs, aims to improve safety and relieve congestion at one of Delaware's most dangerous interchanges on I-95. The realignments have already eased backups at some ramps.

Part of the work involved lowering a 1,500-foot stretch of the southbound roadway along I-95 to correct a substandard clearance under the bridge carrying U.S. 202/Concord Pike.

Federal standards have changed since the bridge was built in the 1960s, when truck loads weren't as tall. The bridge was a tight fit for some carriers, whose loads scraped against the outermost facia beams.

The schedule of closures is as follows:

• 10 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday, and 10 p.m. Sunday through 5 a.m. Tuesday (nightly): Ramp closed from southbound U.S. 202 to southbound I-95;

• 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday: Ramps closed from southbound I-95 to U.S. 202/Concord Pike;

• 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Oct. 30-31 (nightly) and Nov. 6-7 (nightly): Ramps closed from southbound U.S. 202 to northbound I-95, and from northbound U.S. 202 to southbound I-95;

• 10 p.m. Oct. 31 to 5 a.m. Nov. 3: Weekend closure of the ramps from northbound I-95 to north and southbound U.S. 202;

• 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Nov. 4-5 (nightly): Ramp closed from northbound U.S. 202 to northbound I-95;

• 10 p.m. Nov. 7 to 5 a.m. Nov. 10: Complete closure of northbound I-95, and of the ramp from southbound U.S. 202 to northbound I-95;

• 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Nov. 10-14: Lane closures on southbound I-95; and

• 10 p.m. Nov. 14 to 5 a.m. Nov. 17: Complete closure of southbound I-95, and of the ramp from southbound U.S. 202 to southbound I-95.

U.S. 13 bridge

On a separate project, crews will close southbound U.S. 13 this weekend near Wilmington Manor between I-295 and Del. 141.

Workers are removing the aging bridge deck over the former Baylor Boulevard and replacing the pavement. A box culvert under the bridge will maintain pedestrian traffic in the area, Lawton said.

All closures could be rescheduled in the case of inclement weather.

Contact Melissa Nann Burke at (302) 324-2329, mburke@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @nannburke.

WEEKEND CLOSURE OF U.S. 13

Construction crews will close southbound U.S. 13 between Del. 141 and I-295 starting at 8 p.m. Friday until noon Oct. 27. Workers will be removing the bridge deck and approach slabs in the southbound direction and replacing hot-mix on the roadway. In the case of bad weather, the closure will be postponed to the following weekend.