The road work that provided fits of anxiety to motorists cutting through Wilmington on I-95 the last 21 months is pretty much in the rearview mirror.
Motorists can expect intermittent lane closures as road crews finish work on shoulders, barriers and the soon-to-open Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on ramps, said Charles “C.R.” McLeod, a Delaware Department of Transportation spokesman.
Both directions of I-95 through Wilmington are now open and the MLK on ramps are scheduled to open on Friday.
“The project’s original timeline had major construction completed by spring 2023 so it is ahead of that timeline,” McLeod said. “There is another phase of construction ahead, but that will take place around and under I-95 and will have minimal impacts on traffic over the next year.”
McLeod said there will be some temporary closures in December for the installation of new overhead signage, but overall, the nearly $200 million project is winding down.
The project, dubbed “Restore the Corridor,” began in early 2021, impacting businesses, nearby residents and drivers using the nearly 3-mile stretch of roadway that is being refurbished. Had the repairs not taken place, it would have been more costly later.
When all is said and done, the project will get what DelDOT engineers have said is needed maintenance to the skeletal structures of the interstate’s mile-long viaduct that cuts through Wilmington and the numerous bridges that make up the 58-year-old artery.
Construction crews will also have repaved the entire segment of highway between the Christina and Brandywine waterways, repair overpasses, replace signs and install new guardrails, among other smaller tasks.
There will also be safety improvements.
Separate from the construction project, a meeting to discuss building a highway cap is scheduled to take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Ursuline Academy Student Life Center, 1106 Pennsylvania Ave, Wilmington.
WILMAPCO in partnership with Wilmington and DelDOT, is studying the feasibility of capping one or more sections of I-95 between the Delaware Avenue bridge and the Sixth Street bridge.
Highway caps create the opportunity for new public spaces and walking/biking connections on top of highways. The areas between the bridges create an opportunity for multiple concepts to be developed utilizing some, or all, of these spaces to create new connections between neighborhoods divided by the highway and new public spaces for the community to enjoy.
Bridging I-95:Plan to cap part of I-95 in Wilmington and turn it into greenspace is a hit, but who will pay?
The change in traffic patterns during the Restore the Corridor project, which included closing lanes and exits for months, did come with an increase in collisions. This includes a crash that killed a 25-year-old Wilmington Manor firefighter helping a crash victim.
I-95 crashes:Wilmington Manor firefighter killed while trying to help driver after crash on I-95
After a nearly 50% increase in crashes from 2019, transportation officials started an electronic speed monitoring program in the construction zone which resulted in significant reductions in crashes, including injury crashes,” McLeod said.
In the first 4.5 months following the deployment of the Electronic Speed Safety Program, McLeod said there were 95 work zone crashes were reported, including 16 crashes resulting in personal injury. During the same timeframe in 2021, there were 209 total work zone crashes reported, including 32 crashes resulting in personal injury.
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He said that this reflects a 55% reduction in total crashes and a 50% reduction in injury crashes.
The speed cameras have been removed, but after nearly 62,000 warnings and 8,300 violations were issued.
“We’ll now prepare a final report for the General Assembly on the pilot program, who will determine whether to continue and expand the use of these cameras,” McLeod said.
Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.
