The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District will close the northbound lanes of the Summit Bridge, carrying Delaware Route 896 and U.S. Route 301 over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, from 10 p.m. Friday, May 11, until 5 a.m., Monday May 14.
The closure is necessary to replace a strip seal on the bridge. The strip seal is part of the expansion joint system that allows the bridge to expand and contract and adjust to temperature changes. The work was not carried out during a bridge closure in December because of the weather conditions. The Delaware Department of Transportation has devised a detour plan for the closure, which will be clearly marked with signs. The detour is as follows:
Northbound U.S. Route 301 traffic will be detoured to Boyds Corner Road (DE Route 896), to U.S. Route 13 north, to DE Route 1 north, to DE Route 72 north, to U.S. Route 40 west, back to U.S. Route 301 / DE Route 896.
Overall, work on the bridge is expected to be completed by the end of this year.. The $10 million project was awarded to Marinis Brother, Inc., New Castle, Del., and includes replacing gusset plates, stiffening gusset plates, miscellaneous steel repairs, and sandblasting and repainting the bridge.
For up-to-date traffic information, please log onto Delaware Department of Transportation website or tune to WTMC 1380 AM.
Release no. 12-006