St. Georges Bridge (EaglesFanInTampa photo from Wikimedia)

St. Georges Bridge to close for 18 months for repairs

Ken MammarellaGovernment, Headlines

St. Georges Bridge (EaglesFanInTampa photo from Wikimedia)

St. Georges Bridge (EaglesFanInTampa photo from Wikimedia)

The St. Georges Bridge, which carries U.S. 13 over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, will close for approximately 18 months for major repairs.

The bridge will close to all traffic starting on April 4. The contractor will begin to close bicycle lanes in February, but at least one bicycle lane will remain open until April 4.

A $45.8 million contract, awarded to J.D. Eckman, Inc., involves demolishing and replacing the bridge decking, median barrier, drainage features; replacing bridge approaches and roadways; and repairing other bridge structural features.

RELATED: 2 lanes of Delaware Memorial Bridge to close for four months

Work is funded by the federal government through Energy and Water appropriations.

The purpose of the repairs is to improve the structural condition and traveling surface of the bridge, a tied arch structure that was constructed in 1941 and modified in 2010.

The last major construction project on the bridge was lead paint abatement in 2000 and 2001.

During construction, traffic will be detoured to the Roth Bridge and Delaware Route 1. Even though the bridges are just a third of a mile apart, detours will be several miles long, to account for the spacing of entrances and exits for Route 1.

The work was announced by the Delaware Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District.

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