I-95/Rt. 202 interchange project finally done

It’s been a long road, but the end is finally here for Delaware’s overhaul of I-95.

Little more than 23 miles long, the First State’s portion of I-95 is all that many travelers ever get to see of Delaware. While there’s plenty of out-of-state hate for the toll booths near the Maryland border, the state’s stretch of 95 has vastly changed since 1999.

That overhaul included a new toll plaza with high speed EZ Pass lanes, an extra lane on the interstate through the Rt. 141 and I-295 interchange, as well as massive fly-over ramps to replace the often clogged hairpin ramp connecting Rt. 1 and I-95.

On Friday, state leaders celebrated the completion of the final piece of that massive overhaul. The redesigned I-95/Rt. 202 interchange should mean fewer backups on the now wider on and off ramps north of Wilmington. It will also mean fewer trucks striking the low-clearance overpass bridge now that the interstate has been lowered. 

With a big shout, Delaware Department of Transportation Secretary Jennifer Cohan announced the projects completion. “It has been a long time coming. I’m so glad that we can say those words,” Cohan said. The work took even longer than expected as a result of the emergency repairs needed to fix I-495 last summer. 

“We’ve been living this on a daily basis,” said State Sen. Greg Lavelle who represents the area near the interchange. “[We’ve] put up with a lot, but the end is here and the end is good.” 

But even though the major work on 95 is over, don’t expect to get a reprieve from seeing those orange barrels. The next phase of work will include replacing some of the overpasses over 95. “If you drive by them or drive over them, you know we’ve been patching those patches on the bridge over 95, so it’s going to be a complete replacement of those,” Cohan said.