DelDOT cuts ribbon on new Milford overpass

Delaware Department of Transportation cut the ribbon May 18 on a new $22 million overpass at Route 1 and Front Street in Milford.

DelDOT Secretary Jennifer Cohan said contractor Diamond Materials finished the project early and on budget; the overpass was to have opened in August, she said. The overpass was 80 percent federally funded with the remaining 20 percent coming from the state.

Cohan said the overpass is the seventh of its kind that DelDOT has built in the last 10 years as the department tries to eliminate crossovers. Prior to the overpass, motorists had to stop and cross Route 1 to get onto Front Street, which passes through downtown Milford and ends in Harrington.

Rep. Bryan Shupe, R-Milford, flanked by his daughter, Evelyn, said, “This is a project that is going to provide safety to our local community, safety to our visitors traveling up and down the state, and safety for two different roads that lead into Milford High School and Milford Central Academy.”

One of the driving forces behind the overpass was Emmett Venett, a resident of the Woods Haven development.

“This bridge represents our reuniting with the city of Milford. Our residents had no sway in the decision to close the road to Woods Haven 10 years ago because we were not technically part of the city,” he said.

Venett said for the past decade, residents of Woods Haven have had to travel extra distance in order to get to their homes and had to cross Route 1 to get to Milford. With the new overpass, residents now have direct access to both their homes and the city.

Milford Councilman Michael Boyle said the overpass will serve as an economic development tool to make it easier for people to get into downtown Milford.

Following the ribbon-cutting, those in attendance walked the bridge, a group that included dignitaries, bicyclists, residents and one rat-tailed chihuahua named Princess, the service dog of Woods Haven resident Tom Smoker.