The U.S. Army Corps Engineers’ Philadelphia District will begin preventive safety repairs on the Reedy Point Bridge, a cantilever truss bridge that carries two lanes of Delaware Route 9 over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, in April 2012.
In order to complete the necessary repairs, the bridge will temporarily close in April and is expected to reopen in fall 2012.
"For safety reasons, we need to close both lanes of the bridge. This will also expedite the construction, which would have taken over a year to complete if we closed only one lane at a time," said Timothy Kelly, the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal project manager. "There is a procedure in place to allow emergency vehicles and responders to cross the bridge during the construction period."
Steel repairs to welds, other deteriorated steel members and the wind linkage (metal connecting the approach span to the main span of the bridge) will be made. The closure will also allow for lead paint to be removed and for new corrosion protection to be put in place. The project is estimated to cost $8 million, awarded to Corcon Construction, Lowellville, Ohio.
Traffic from the north will be directed to DE Route 1 southbound to US Route 13 southbound via Exit 148. Once on US Route 13 southbound, traffic will be directed to turn left at Pole Bridge Road which becomes Port Penn Road. The detour ends on Port Penn Road at the intersection with Liberty Street (DE Route 9).
Traffic from the south will be directed to US Route 13 via Port Penn Road. Traffic will turn right onto northbound US Route 13 from Port Penn Road, turn left at the next traffic signal to enter onto northbound DE Route 1. Once on northbound DE Route 1, traffic will exit at DE Route 72 (Exit 152). Traffic will turn right at the top of the ramp and proceed straight through the next signalized intersection (US Route 13). The detour ends on DE Route 72 at the intersection with River Road (DE Route 9).
Local traffic within Delaware City will be detoured out of the town via Cox Neck Road. Traffic will turn right onto northbound US Route 13 and then turn left onto DE Route 72 and then turn left to enter DE Route 1 southbound. Traffic will follow the detour for southbound traffic from this point.
All businesses within Delaware City will be open during the project and signs along the detour route will note that all businesses are open.
The Philadelphia District maintains the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal navigation channel that connects the Delaware River to the Chesapeake Bay. Additionally, the District has the responsibility to maintain and operate five high-level highway crossings (Chesapeake City Bridge, Summit Bridge, Senator Roth Bridge, St. George’s Bridge and Reedy Point Bridge) and one street bridge in Delaware City.
The District is also home to the North Atlantic Regional Center of Expertise for Bridge Inspection and Evaluation. This center is comprised of Army Corps structural experts who complete hands-on inspections of all the canal crossings every two years. The Reedy Point Bridge was last inspected in July 2010, at which point the needed repairs were identified.
Construction on the Reedy Point Bridge was last done in 1999 when $888,000 was spent on miscellaneous steel repairs. In 1995, $2.5 million was spent on anchor and deck span repairs and painting. The bridge was originally constructed in 1969.
For more information on the Philadelphia District’s work at the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, visit the Facebook page.