Milton approves bid for Magnolia drainage project
Milton Town Council unanimously approved a $1.2 million bid by Middletown-based contractor Mumford and Miller for drainage improvements and refurbishing of the bulkhead at the Magnolia Street parking lot.
Construction on the project is set to begin Monday, Aug. 1, as the town is limited by state regulations on building projects in state-owned waterways.
Mumford and Miller’s bid was the lowest, but it was higher than the town was anticipating. The town’s original estimate from three years ago was $814,000, although Town Manager Kristy Rogers said she expected the price could go up to $1 million based on the rising cost of construction supplies. The town had already received nearly $600,000 in state grants for the project, and its fiscal year 2022 budget included $279,000 in real estate transfer tax reserves to be used.
At council’s May 2 meeting, Rogers asked for a budget amendment to allow for an additional $282,000 in transfer tax reserves to finance the project. Council approved the request unanimously; Rogers said she also plans to apply for additional state funding to lower the town’s share of the costs.
Mayor John Collier said, “We’ve invested a lot of time and effort into this project, and I’d hate to see it abandoned at this late date, because it doesn’t fix anything. The more I look at that area, the more I think I’m watching it slowly ease its way into the river.”
The project includes reconstruction of 85 feet of the sheet-pile bulkhead, modification of the storm sewer pipe, and restoration of Governor’s Walk and boardwalk. In the parking lot itself, the project calls for demolition and reconstruction to provide a stormwater basin, stormwater pumping station and reconfigured parking lot area, plus sidewalk and curb replacement along Magnolia Street.
The project has been in development for years, as flooding at the parking lot has long been an issue, especially following storms. About a third of the lot is often unusable because it is covered in water. A plan to improve drainage was first introduced in early 2019. The fixes would cost the town 19 parking spaces and not prevent flooding during storms, but would reduce day-to-day flooding.
DelDOT updates on Coastal Corridors study
Council’s May 2 meeting also featured an update from Delaware Department of Transportation planner Jennifer Cinelli-Miller on the department’s Coastal Corridors study, which has been examining traffic conditions on Route 16 and Route 404/9 since March 2021.
The study is pertinent to Milton because Route 16 runs through one of Milton’s main commercial areas.
Cinelli-Miller said at this point, DelDOT does not have enough data from areas around Route 113 and to the west. Route 113 intersects with Route 16 at Ellendale, with Milton to the east. Cinelli-Miller said when DelDOT undertook the study, the thought was that motorists coming off the Bay Bridge in Maryland were getting off Route 50 at 404 and heading into Delaware that way. But the data has shown that many of those drivers are continuing to head south toward Ocean City, Md., she said.
Cinelli-Miller said the department plans to do a deeper dive, starting Memorial Day weekend and collecting data through the summer. She said eventually, there will be a public workshop on the department’s findings, although there is no time frame for anything yet.
