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Canal bridge in Rehoboth poised for upgrades

Rehab to include structural work, wider sidewalks
July 27, 2016

The Lewes-Rehoboth Canal Bridge is about to undergo a transformation, but the venerable bridge is set to remain the main crossing into Rehoboth Beach for the long term.

Built in 1986, the drawbridge is opened less than five times per month, requiring 24-hour notice before being opened. The bridge clearance is 16 feet during high tide, although most boats can fit underneath the bridge without an opening.

DelDOT spokesman Jim Westhoff said there are no plans to replace the bridge any time soon, although the department does have a number of upgrades planned.

First, Westhoff said DelDOT will be rehabilitating it with upgrades to the electrical and mechanical systems and minor structural repairs. Second, the department plans to widen the sidewalk as part of its plans to extend the Junction & Breakwater Trail into downtown Rehoboth.

DelDOT plans to shrink the travel lanes and widen the sidewalk on the westbound lane to 10 feet with a bike lane and add a bike lane to the eastbound lane. DelDOT has estimated the project will be built as early as next year. Despite the repairs, Westhoff said the bridge is in good condition, having only been in service for 30 years. He said bridges should have at least a 75-year service life. Westhoff said there are no plans to consider a separate pedestrian bridge.

"Having a separate pedestrian structure will add significant costs for construction, as well as long term maintenance costs," he said. "The existing bridge accommodates pedestrians on both sides of the bridge so a separate pedestrian bridge has never seriously been considered."

Mayor Sam Cooper was still a commissioner at the time the bridge was built to replace the original crossing into Rehoboth, built in 1926. Cooper said the old bridge had fallen into disrepair and DelDOT had put a 2-ton weight limit on the structure. The old bridge was pre-engineered with wooden decking and was only two lanes, Cooper said. He said the old bridge was much like the canal bridge on Lewes' Savannah Road: a drawbridge that arched in the middle unlike the current bridge, which is flat with a bridge that raises on an axle.

John Hughes was the town's mayor when the bridge was built. He said the town petitioned DelDOT to do something about the old bridge, which had become a source of frustration for townspeople and visitors alike.

"It was an old, tiny bridge. It was slow and bulky. It stuck more often than it functioned. People would get stacked up behind it," Hughes said. "It had to be changed."

He said the city got a better bridge that works much better. The current bridge went through about four or five designs, Cooper said, including one that was an extended bridge that started at Church Street and ended at Fifth Street.

"They've done a good job with it," Hughes said of DelDOT.

 

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