M E M O R A N D U M

TO:Jennifer Cohan, Secretary

FROM:Shante Hastings, PE, Deputy Director of Transportation Solutions

DATE:July12, 2017

SUBJECT:Weekly Report for the Period Ending June 16, 2017

SECRETARY’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • High Priority Condition Reports:
  • SR 1, Overhead Sign Structure: A sign structure at the southbound SR 1, North Frederica ramp struck by a raised dump truck bed was reported on June 26, 2017. Bridge Management inspected the sign structure and did not find any structural damage or concerns. Bridge Management's consultant tested the sign bolts and didn’t find any defects. The bottom 3' of the damaged sign panel and vertical sign supports were removed as a temporary measure. The sign panel will eventually be replaced as part of the Little Heaven Project.
  • Bridge 1-642, CSX Railroad Bridge: A moving truck impacted Bridge 1-642, CSX Railroad Bridge over Chapel Street in Newark. Upon inspection, only scrapes were found on the beams.
  • Silver Lake Dam: As a result of a pop-up storm in and around the Middletown area that unexpectedly dumped 4-8” of rain on Thursday, July 6, 2017, the Silver Lake Dam came close to overtopping. Canal District staff responded and were able to open up the sluice gates for the center spillway structure. They were able to get the water level back down to the normal water level for the lake. However, there were issues with closing the gates that caused additional water level drop below that of normal pool due to cracking/bending of the supports. A plug for the spillway was installed by Canal District staff to prevent a complete loss of the lake and an emergency design project has been initiated to install a temporary cofferdam to more effectively maintain the water level in the lake and to install a new spillway/gate system to replace the damaged gate system. Installation of the cofferdam is expected to start later this week, but we don’t have a timeframe for the spillway replacement portion at this time.
  • Bridge 1-112 on Yorklyn Road over the Red Clay Creek: Advanced deterioration of the asphalt overlay resulted in large heaved & depressed areas in the riding surface that was affecting the safety of motorists driving over the bridge. The structural integrity of the bridge itself was not a concern. The District milled off the heaved portions of the asphalt and the bridge will have the overlay replaced through North District’s open-end paving contractor during the week of July10-14, 2017.
  • Bridge 1-159 on James Street over the Christina River: Project staff met with Senator Delcollo, Representative Kim Williams, Representative Walsh, Mayor Spencer, and business owners from the Newport Industrial Park on July 10, 2017, to discuss Bridge 1-159 carrying James Street over Christina River. Everyone seemed to be happy with the proposal to lower James Street to provide at least 13’-6” clearance under the Amtrak bridge (13’-8” is preferred), followed by the rehabilitation of the existing bridge. Real Estate costs and risks for temporary relocations during construction were too high (>$8.5M plus risks). A new project schedule is being developed.
  • I-95 Wilmington Corridor Rehabilitation: Nothing new to report.
  • Zoar Road, Speedway Road and Bethesda Road Intersection Improvements: Sarah Powell from South Construction had a telephone conversation with Senator Brian Pettyjohn on June 20, 2017. He called to explain two of his concerns with the detour on Gov. Stockley Road. He reported that Gov. Stockley Road is too narrow for this increased traffic. He witnessed a tractor trailer and a dump truck break each other’s mirrors off while driving past each other on Gov Stockley Road between US 113 and Zoar Road. His other concern is that farm equipment can longer cross over US 113 at Gov. Stockley Road due to the closure. He suggested we change the drums in the median to tubular delineator markers that will bounce back up if run over. Sarah Powell forwarded his concerns to DelDOT’s Safety Section to review and advice. The Safety Section is working with upper management to determine a path forward.
  • Hearns Pond Dam: WBOC’s, Caroline Coles requested background information to prepare for a feature on Hearns Pond Dam Replacement in anticipation of the upcoming ribbon cutting scheduled for August 15, 2017. The feature was run on WBOC July 5th.
  • The TMC’s UPS malfunctioned on Saturday July 1, 2017. The UPS maintenance vendor was unable to rectify the issue without assistance. Out of date equipment and the need to ship equipment delayed the response. The TMC was without power for a short period of time, but fortunately power was restored quickly and additional outages did not occur. Staff from TMC, OIT, DTI, and DEMA responded over the holiday weekend to handle this issue as best as possible. Repairs have been completed and everything is fully operational. Follow-up with our maintenance vendor will investigate why this issue occurred, and why we were not better informed of the vulnerability and dated equipment. Follow-up internally will be required to better understand after-hours responsibilities of TMC, OIT, DTI, OMB, and/or DEMA staff.
  • Barry Benton delivered a presentation on the “DelDOT Deployment of UHPC” via a nationwide webinar series sponsored by FHWA on July 11, 2017.
  • Upcoming Retirements:
  • Pat LaRue, Public Information Officer, ROW – retired effective 7/1/17.
  • Barry Benton, Assistant Director, Bridge, retiring effective 8/1/17 (last working day 7/14/17)
  • George Nagase, Engineer V, Performance Management, retiring effective 8/1/17.
  • Frederica McGaha, Administrative Specialist III, South Project Development, retiring effective 8/1/17.
  • Linda Short, Executive Secretary, Transportation Solutions, retiring effective 9/1/17.
  • Sean DuPhily, EPS Tech V, North Project Development, retiring effective 10/1/17.

PROGRESS ON GOVERNOR’S PRIORITIES

None to Report – see Project updates

KEY LEGISLATION

  • None to Report

PROJECT UPDATES

  • Wilmington Initiatives: Nothing new to report.
  • Christina River Bridge: Nothing new to report.
  • I-95/SR 141 Ramps G & F Interchange Improvements: Motorists should expect traffic on SR 141 southbound and northbound to be reduced to one lane in the construction area during the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday thru Friday, but only if needed for safety reasons. Ramp 5B (northbound I-295 to northbound SR 141/Newport) remains closed until late October 2017. Southbound SR 141 is now starting Phase 2.
  • Bridge 1-680 on SR 141 over US 13: A Public Information Meeting is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. on July 18, 2017, at George Reed Middle School to provide information about the project prior to the 45 day closure of the bridge for construction which is scheduled to begin the week of September 11, 2017.
  • Claymont Regional Transportation Center: A contract for soil borings has been executed and the field work is expected to begin this week. A scoping meeting for the project is scheduled for July 12, 2017.
  • Newark Regional Transportation Center: Construction of the utility access road began on Monday, July 10, 2017, and should last approximately two (2) weeks. A Groundbreaking Ceremony for construction of the Transportation Center is scheduled for July 17, 2017. A Procurement and Material Storage meeting was held with Amtrak on July 7, 2017. A meeting will be scheduled with FTA to provide more guidance on Buy America.
  • Howell School Road: The Contractor continues to grade for the connection between old and new Howell School Road. Concrete islands at the entrance to Lums Pond have been placed. Work continues in preparation to place the asphalt base course for the connection. Utility work continued at the intersection of SR 896 and New Howell School Road and new traffic signals were installed. The traffic switch to open New Howell School Road and close Old Howell School Road occurred on July 11, 2017. Old Howell School Road will remain closed until approximately October 2017.
  • Industrial Track Greenway Phase III: Construction continues. Still waiting for resolution oftimber mat issue.
  • SR 10 & SR 15 Intersection Improvements: Dundee Road has reopened. Moose Lodge Road closed on June 30, 2017. Additional utility conflicts have been found. Project staff is coordinating with Verizon.
  • SR 1, Little Heaven Grade Separated Intersection: Buffalo Road closed on July 10, 2017. On the north end of the project, the SR 1 northbound and southbound lane shifts have been adjusted back to the original configuration.
  • Bridges 3-153 and 3-154, Lewes and Rehoboth Drawbridges Rehabilitation Project: A Public Information Meeting is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. on July 25, 2017 at Cape Henlopen High School.

UPDATES TO FACTS AND FIGURES

  • FATAL CRASH UPDATE: 2017 Fatalities: The table below shows the number of fatalities up to July 6, compared to the same time in 2016:

2016 / 2017
As of July 6, 2017
As of July 6, 2016 / 2016
Total
Total / 63 / 119 / Total / 45
Alcohol Related / 28 / 40 / Alcohol Related / 17
Vehicle Occupants / 43 / 75 / Vehicle Occupants / 22
Seat Belts Worn / 22 / 41 / Seat Belts Worn / 11
Seat Belts Not Used / 19 / 28 / Seat Belts Not Used / 11
Seat Belt Use Unknown / 2 / 6 / Seat Belt Use Unknown / 0
Motorcyclists / 6 / 15 / Motorcycles / 6
Pedestrians / 9 / 27 / Pedestrians / 14
Bicycles / 2 / 2 / Bicycles / 2

WHERE’S ROB BEEN

  • Rob is attending the NASTO Conference in Philadelphia, PA this week.

KEY TRAFFIC ISSUES:

  • I-95/SR 141 Ramps G & F Interchange Improvements: Ramp 5B (northbound I-295 to northbound SR 141/Newport) remains closed until late October 2017.
  • US 301 Mainline Project Closures – week of July 10 – 14, 2017:
  • Warwick Road: Closed at the existing US 301. Detours posted.
  • Hyetts Corner Road: Closed between St. Georges High School and Windsor Commons Boulevard through December, 2018. Detours posted.
  • Strawberry Lane: Closed at US 301 through December, 2017. Detours posted.
  • Boyd’s Corner Road (SR 896), west of Cedar Lane: Eastbound and westbound lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with flagging operation through the work zone.
  • US 13 between Old Hyetts Corner Road and Port Penn Road: Single lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for continued median excavation.
  • US 13 between Port Penn Road and the on ramp to SR 1: Single left or right lane closures on northbound & southbound US 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for relocation of temporary concrete barrier wall.
  • Summit Bridge Road near Marl Pit/Armstrong Corner Road: Dirt Hauling and Bridge Construction activities continue across Summit Bridge Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with flagging operation in effect.
  • Armstrong Corner Road between Choptank Road & Summit Bridge Road: Dirt Hauling and Bridge Construction activities across Armstrong Corner Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with flagging operation in effect.
  • Port Penn Road at US 13: Restricted to right in/right out only. Detours posted.
  • US 301 over Boyds Corner Road: Single lane closures 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. with flagging operation in effect.
  • Summit Bridge Road north & south of Armstrong Corner Road/Marl Pit Road intersection: Northbound or southbound lane closures 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. with flagging operation in effect for preparation for lane shift.
  • Bridge 1-567A on Hay Road over Shellpot Creek: Hay Road has been closed as of July 10, 2017, and will remain closed for the duration of the project. Tentativescheduled completion is March 2018.

SH:ls

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