Construction projects will cause delays on Delaware Avenue, Christina Parkway

It’s summertime in Newark, and that can mean only one thing: more road construction projects.

This week, Delaware Department of Transportation contractors are beginning two new projects, one on Delaware Avenue and one on Christina Parkway.

The Delaware Avenue project is to redo part of the work done as part of the year-long reconstruction project that wrapped up in 2022. The initial $7.6 million project added a two-way separated bikeway and repaved and reconstructed the entire roadway.

In order to accommodate the bikeway, the two vehicular lanes were shifted to the right, and part of the new right lane is where a shoulder used to be.

DelDOT spokesman C.R. McLeod said that over the past two years, it’s become obvious that the right lane is not strong enough to support the amount of traffic it receives.

“Shoulders aren’t built to the same strength as the road surface,” McLeod explained. “That’s just the way that roads are built. So you’ve got the far right lane edge starting to show deterioration.”

DelDOT has noticed that the road surface is beginning to crack.

“It’s just not going to hold up in the long run because it doesn’t have the same foundation as the previous travel lanes did,” McLeod said.

Workers will spend the summer digging up the right lane, building a stronger concrete base and then replacing the asphalt.

“That way it holds up and we’re not going to have any of these issues developing in the future with it not being as strong as it needs to be,” McLeod said.

DelDOT decided to do the work now because it coincides with a Delmarva Power project to replace a gas main that runs under Delaware Avenue.

McLeod said the project will be complete by the end of the summer. The right lane of Delaware Avenue will be closed between South Main Street and South Chapel Street, but the left lane will remain open to traffic. The eastern segment of Delaware Avenue, near Tyre Avenue and Newark High School, will not be affected.

At the same time, a DelDOT contractor will spend the next two months patching the road surface on Christina Parkway. The work will fix a large number of potholes that frequently prompt complaints from motorists.

Christina Parkway is slated for a full reconstruction in a couple years, and this summer’s work will provide a temporary fix until then.

Motorists can expect single lane closures on Christina Parkway on weekdays through the end of August.

Elsewhere in the city, work continues to the Interstate 95 interchange project at South College Avenue. The project, which includes new flyover ramps and other upgrades, will continue through fall 2025.

Just east of the city, crews continue to work on the intersection of Capitol Trail and Red Mill Road. The project, which is adding additional turn lanes and bike lanes, is scheduled to be completed this fall.