WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Drivers are being warned to expect traffic delays when a major construction project to completely rebuild the driving surface of the Delaware Memorial Bridge begins next month.
The News Journal reports that the project will remove the top two inches from the north side (towards New Jersey) of the bridge deck and replace it with “ultra high performance concrete,” according to the Delaware River and Bay Authority.
In the first phase of the project, two lanes on the Delaware side of the bridge will be closed to traffic, with a third lane closed overnight. The remaining two lanes will be open to traffic, along with a bypass that will divert traffic around the construction. The bypass will only be reserved for traffic heading to the New Jersey Turnpike.
The second phase of the project – which is expected to run from February 1 to May 25, 2023 – will close the two left lanes for the entire length of the bridge.
The third phase, estimated to run from September 5 to November 21, 2023, will close the two right lanes on the New Jersey side of the bridge.
Drivers heading south over the bridge to Delaware likely won’t see much of a change in traffic, given that nearly all construction is on the New Jersey side. But the DRBA said motorists “should expect traffic jams and delays in New Jersey.”
The project, which will also include replacement of relief joints and expansion joints, is expected to cost $71 million.
