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Improvement on Rehoboth’s Lake Gerar bridge has hit a delay, said City Manager Greg Ferrese at the mayor and commissioners’ workshop Feb. 5.
The delay has been caused by a disagreement between the city’s engineer and state transportation officials over the design of the approach to the bridge from the north.
The bridge and roadway are the property of the City of Rehoboth Beach, not of the state. Rehoboth went to the federal government to help with funding repairs to the bridge and intersection. The total cost of the project is around $2.5 million. The city budgeted $324,000 for the improvements with federal funds and loans covering $1.6 million.
To get the federal money, the city had to work through the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), which must approve the plans. However, DelDOT officials have not signed off on the plans, because they said it does not meet their design standards. Still, DelDOT is trying to work things out.
“We think it comes down to doing the job right,” said Darrel Cole, DelDOT director of public relations. “We feel pretty good on the effort we put in.”
In addition to the bridge, the city is also trying to improve the intersection at Lake Avenue and Second Street. Currently the intersection where the two roads link is a sharp curve at Lake Avenue meeting up with Second Street from the right, leading onto the bridge from the north. The speed limit there is 25 mph, which is where Rehoboth engineers would like to keep it. The city’s engineers want that curve to be more gentle leading to the bridge due to concerns about traffic safety. DelDOT officials think the curve should be wider and have a higher design speed of 30 mph.
The city is not entirely out of options if things do not work out with DelDOT. Mayor Sam Cooper said the city would need a design exception, which can be granted by the state. If the plans are rejected, Cooper can take the matter to a higher authority to try to resolve the problem.
The Lake Gerar bridge and roadway project has been in the works for two years. The matter must be resolved before the city can go ahead and advertise for bids, a process Ferrese thinks can take about six weeks.
“I’m hopeful that when they have to make a decision they will make the right one,” Cooper said.
Contact Ryan Mavity at ryanm@capegazette.com
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