$89 million in US 301 contracts move forward
Start of construction caps years of controversy over various proposals for the new tollway
Construction on most of the mainline route for the new U.S. 301 tollway near Middletown can begin by the end of the month, the Delaware Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.
DelDOT gave a notice to proceed to two companies to begin work on their $88.7 million segments of the expressway, which will stretch from the Maryland state line to Del. 1 just south of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and loop around Middletown.
A notice was given for the initial two segments of the project in December. Only a spur road veering off of the new expressway and interchange connections to Del. 1 and U.S. 13 have yet to be given the green light to move forward.
The project has been in the work for more than decade, and several routes were considered before the arrangement was approved.
Transportation officials have said the new toll roadway, which will feature two lanes in both direction, will divert heavy truck traffic around Middletown. Up to 5,200 construction-oriented jobs and 2,400 jobs in supporting industries are projected to be created, according to state officials. The highway is expected to open in December 2018.
The notice Wednesday allows Richard E. Pierson Construction of Woodstown, New Jersey, to begin work on the link between the Norfolk Southern Railroad line and Del. 896 just to the north of Middletown on Feb. 29. The contract is worth $21.3 million.
Greggo & Ferrara Inc. of New Castle also can start work on the same day for its portion between the Maryland state line and Levels Road, southwest of Middletown. That contract is worth $46 million.
Contractors Tutor Perini and Allan Myers have already received their notices to proceed from DelDOT for different segments of the roadway, although neither contractor has broken ground yet. Dan Myers, project manager for Tutor Perini, said if storms aren't in the forecast, workers could begin leveling the ground with excavators in a couple of weeks.
"We're in the process of getting the field office set up," Myers said.
The start of construction caps years of controversy over various proposals. As the Middletown area expanded, debates raged over land deals for the locations of the new lanes. In 2013, when construction plans appeared to be finalized, a revised traffic forecast halted the project because it showed that the Great Recession had drastically changed travel patterns.
Those changes led to months of review to verify the project's eligibility for expanded Federal Highway Administration loan support. In December, the federal agency announced a $211 million loan for the highway.
The total cost of the project, including land purchases and the maintenance of a reserve fund, is estimated at $643 million.
The "project is a forward-thinking step to eliminate congestion, improve safety, and create a nurturing environment for business," said U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., in a statement Wednesday.
The toll road is projected to collect more than $7 million in 2019, $17 million in 2020 and more than $20 million in 2021, according to DelDOT contractor Jacobs Engineering.
The existing U.S. 301 through Middletown will be converted into a local roadway.
Contact Karl Baker at kbaker@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2329. Follow him on Twitter @kbaker6.