Lewes utility work on track

It’s been a tumultuous few months for the businesses and residents along Front Street in Lewes where sewer work has torn up the street and made travel near impossible. While there have been headaches, Lewes Board of Public Works General Manager Darrin Gordon said work on the two-year project is making good progress.

The 1812 Park parking lot is open for use and vehicular traffic can travel as far as the Post Office, including Neils Alley to Second Street. 

Crews from Teal Construction are in the midst of a lengthy project to add a new 16-inch sewer main along Front Street to improve the efficiency and capacity of the BPW’s wastewater system. Crews are also taking advantage of the closed roadway to improve water services and remove 80-year-old water mains. 

Teal has been working its way down Front Street from Savannah Road. Next week, they will begin work in front of the Cannonball House and in the intersection with Market Street. 

“There is a lot of utility work there. It’s going to be very busy,” Gordon said. “They’re going to go slow through that section.” 

Crews will continue past the Inn at Canal Square before stopping work for the summer season. 

Crews have temporarily paved Front Street from Savannah Road to the Post Office. The temporary paving will remain in place through the summer until next fall, when the project resumes. 

Work to replace and improve the sidewalks on Front Street will soon begin, and some of that work may continue into the summer. 

“We’ll do our best to avoid hurting pedestrian traffic through there,” Gordon said. 

Gordon said he’s fielded some complaints about the noise caused by water pumps. He’s responded by building structures around the pumps to dampen the sound. 

Some residents have noticed discolored water when their water has been restored. Gordon said it’s the result of the city’s old, rusty pipes, and while the water quality is fine, the BPW is budgeting money in upcoming fiscal years to replace the old pipes. 

“The water coming out of our wells is just fantastic,” he said. “It’s the pipes that are old, unfortunately.” 

Gills Neck Road work complete

Construction crews are finishing work on a project along Gills Neck Road to connect Sussex County’s wastewater system to the BPW’s. 

The BPW has agreed to take up to 300,000 gallons per day of effluent into Lewes' system during the winter, and up to 75,000 gallons per day year-round. The agreement allows the county to divert its wastewater to Lewes’ system rather than spray treated effluent on fields at its Wolfe Neck facility. 

Lewes started receiving the county’s effluent March 13, Gordon said.

The project should be complete by the end of the month, he said, as crews from George & Lynch finish work on utilities before repaving the road from Schley Avenue to Savannah Road March 19-20, work that was originally slated for next year. 

“I take my hat off to them,” Gordon said. “I’m thankful and grateful to both George & Lynch and the county. It’s been a superb project.”