Construction contract awarded for major I-95 project

Roadwork to improve a major bottleneck in Delaware will get underway this fall, after the state has awarded a Maryland contractor the $85.7 million project.

The interchange between State Route 1 and I-95 has long been a source of aggravation for drivers, especially on summer weekends and during the holidays.  The area frequently bogs down as drivers head to the beach along Rt. 1 in warm weather, or drive to the Christiana Mall off of Rt. 1 at other times of the year.

Cherry Hill Construction of Jessup, Maryland submitted the winning bid of $85.7 million, which is $20 million less than the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) engineering estimate.  The difference in costs is a result of a faster timetable.  DelDOT’s estimate for the project was based on a more than three year schedule.  Cherry Hill submitted a work schedule of just 25 months.

The project will add new, high speed ramps that connect northbound Route 1 to northbound I-95 and southbound I-95 to southbound Route 1.  It is the final piece of a massive, multi-year DelDOT project that’s inlcluded work at the Churchman’s Road and Route 7 interchange, the replacement of the Churchman’s Bridge over I-95, the fifth-lane widening project on I-95, and the reconstruction of the Newark Toll Plaza.

You can find more on the project at DelDOT’s website, I95.deldot.gov.