Re: DE I-95 Public Workshop

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (John Taber) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...

> The flyover ramp is in play for sure, and yes, the interchanges are
> going to be reworked.

Apparently, not necessarily.  There will be a direct ramp from I-95
south to DE 1 south but it may not be a flyover:

http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2003/12/03i95plansunveile.html

I-95 plans unveiled
Projects could take three years

By SEAN O'SULLIVAN
Staff reporter
12/03/2003

The Delaware Department of Transportation has released details of
plans to ease congestion at I-95 and Del. 1 by building raised ramps
that would take Del. 1 traffic over I-95 and adding a fifth lane in
each direction to I-95 between Del. 1 and Del. 141.

A third part of the plan would rebuild the I-95 toll plaza outside
Newark to reduce backups there.

The plans were presented at two public hearings this week including
one held Tuesday at the Christiana Country Club, where residents
expressed frustration about traffic at the interchange.

"I am stuck in that mess every day," said Sonia Marichic, 26, of
Newark.

Bill Hellmann, of RK&K Engineers, which helped design the plans, said
the cost of the project is estimated at $150 million to $180 million.
He said the project would take at least three years if the three
phases are done at the same time. DelDOT spokesman Darren O'Neill said
construction could take as long as nine years if each phase is done
separately.

Money to pay for the project would come from the state's
Transportation Trust Fund, which is supported by gasoline taxes, toll
revenue and other transportation fees.

Construction could start as early as June 2005 if permits are approved
and the project is put on the fast track by state officials, Hellmann
said. While environmental concerns have stopped previous efforts to
widen I-95, O'Neill said the new plans use new construction methods
and minimize the impact on Churchmans Marsh.

An average of 200,000 vehicles travel I-95 through Churchmans Marsh
each day, far more than on any other road in Delaware or any stretch
of I-95 in Pennsylvania, according to government figures. Motorists
often face long backups between I-95 and Del. 1. That congestion is
expected to worsen as development and tourist traffic continues to
grow in areas to the south.

In April, DelDOT Secretary Nathan Hayward III announced the state was
going to fix the intersection, calling it "the worst interchange in
Delaware."

State Sen. Robert L. Venables Sr., D-Laurel, who co-chairs the state
bond bill committee, which approves transportation construction
projects, said Tuesday he is inclined to support the effort.

"I think all of us are conscious of what is going on in New Castle
County and how congested it is and how people need relief," he said.

The ramp over I-95 would cost an estimated $70 million to $80 million.

One option would be to build a raised ramp, called a "fly-over" ramp,
on the north side of I-95, outside of existing on-ramps. Under the
second option, the ramp would be built on the south side of I-95 or
inside existing on-ramps near Christiana Mall.

Both plans would create new off-ramps for drivers going to Christiana
Mall and separate local traffic from through traffic.

Building the ramp on the south side of I-95 would cost more and take
longer because it would involve more bridge work.

The options to widen I-95 to 10 lanes would cost an estimated $40
million to $50 million. One plan would turn the shoulders on both
sides of the interstate between Del. 1 and Del. 141 into traffic
lanes, add new shoulders and leave the median intact.

Under the second plan, two new lanes and shoulders would be
constructed on the south side of I-95 to avoid intrusion into
Churchmans Marsh. This option would be more complicated and would cost
more because it involves realigning I-95, adding a slight curve to the
road and more excavation to build a new roadbed, Hellmann said.

DelDOT also plans to improve the toll plaza on I-95 outside Newark for
$40 million to $50 million to ease backups there and modernize the
facility.

The improvements would add four high-speed E-ZPass lanes, two for each
direction, similar to the lanes at the Del. 1 Biddles Corner toll
plaza. In the high-speed E-ZPass lanes, drivers do not have to slow
down to have sensors pick up the E-ZPass signal.

The difference between the three options is location. One calls for
the plaza to be rebuilt at its current location. Another calls for
moving it west toward the Maryland line. It would be a short distance
from existing tolls, before Otts Chapel Road. The third would be past
Otts Chapel Road on the Maryland line at Dixie Line Drive. This option
is the cheapest and would cause the least amount of disruption to
traffic or the environment, but it also requires the cooperation of
Maryland officials, according to planners.

A third public hearing on the plans will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Jan.
8 at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, at 654 College
Ave., in Newark.

The final plan will be selected in the spring.

Reach Sean O'Sullivan at 324-2777 or [EMAIL PROTECTED]