We’re halfway there! In case you haven’t heard, the southbound lanes of I-495 passed the load test and have re-opened a month ahead of schedule, but we’re still off the map!  We thought for sure we’d be back on as quickly as we were taken off, but I guess they’re waiting until both sides are functioning?

According to the Delaware Secretary of Transportation Shailen Bhatt, the northbound lanes may reopen in as early as two weeks and, no later than Labor Day on September 1st.

“A lot of hard work remains to fully reopen the highway, but this is an important milestone in the project,” said Governor Markell in a statement released Thursday. “I thank Secretary Bhatt, the entire project team at DelDOT and all of the workers who continue to work around the clock to safely complete repairs as quickly as possible. I’m also grateful to Senators Carper and Coons and Congressman Carney for helping to secure the federal funding for this bridge, which is a vital economic link for travel in Delaware and along the northeast corridor.”

The 4,800 foot bridge that saw approximately 90,000 vehicles a day closed on June 2nd causing major traffic delays all through North Delaware.  We couldn’t be more pleased to announce the progress and look forward to being back on the map!