St. Georges Bridge reopening should reduce congestion

The St. Georges Bridge is set to reopen Oct. 11. (Photo from Historic Bridges)

Delawareans traveling through New Castle County can expect some smoother traffic flow starting this Friday, Oct. 11.

After 18 months of closure for major repairs to the bridge deck and other features, the St. Georges Bridge is reopening at 11 a.m.

St. Georges Bridge traffic

“Before the bridge closed for this project, it carried nearly 11,000 vehicles across the canal daily on average,” said C.R. McLeod, director of community relations for the Delaware Department of Transportation .

Almost $47 million went into the project to improve the structural condition and traveling surface of the St. Georges Bridge. The contractor was J.D. Eckman, Inc.

The existing bridge deck was demolished and rebuilt into a new concrete deck with a median barrier, steel railing, fencing, expansion joints, and seals.

Work also involved replacing the north and south approach slabs and roadways of the bridge originally built in 1941.

“Having it reopened provides another needed connection across the canal both for local traffic and as a detour route should there be an incident on one of the other area bridges causing travel delays,” McLeod said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and several legislators will hold a reopening ceremony Friday morning.

“We’ve seen more congestion during peak travel times across the Roth Bridge since the closure and expect to see that reduced with the reopening of St. Georges,” McLeod said.