Rehoboth Avenue paving slated to resume early April

Just in time for warmer spring weather, Rehoboth Beach has announced the repaving of Rehoboth Avenue is expected to resume the second week of April.

The repaving of Rehoboth Avenue was originally slated to take place in the fall of 2023, but delays pushed the start until last fall. The contractor for the Delaware Department of Transportation was able to pave from the Bandstand to 2nd Street before work was halted in mid-December due to the early arrival of cold temperatures.

The city announced DelDOT would resume paving in a press release March 20. City Manager Taylour Tedder went into a little more detail during a commissioner meeting later the same day.

Remaining work includes milling and paving from 2nd Street west to the roundabout, which is expected to take about a month to complete. Permanent striping will also be installed.

The contractor, A-Del, will complete the roadwork overnight, working 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday evening through Friday morning.

Lane closures and parking restrictions will be necessary in work zones; flaggers will be on site to assist with traffic control. Where possible, the city will work with the contractor to ensure that parking on one side of the street remains open.

Tedder said the city budgeted $750,000 for its portion of the paving project – the two blocks that have been completed – but it came in $300,000 under the budget amount.

The paving project is expected to be completed by Friday, May 16.

The city’s pay-to-park season begins annually Thursday, May 15. Regarding how the paving may impact parking on Rehoboth Avenue, Tedder said the city will wait to see how things look as the expected completion date nears.

As part of the paving project, DelDOT and the city had a number of new handicap accessible ramps installed. There were two installed on the north side, near Browseabout Books, that narrowed the width of the sidewalk in that area significantly. Soon afterward, the city installed fencing to prevent pedestrians from falling into the ramps. DelDOT has said in the past that if the ramps are redone, it will be at the cost of the city.

Commissioner Suzanne Goode asked Tedder if anything was going to be done about the ramps that were installed near Browseabout books.

Tedder said there has been some discussion about what the cost would be, but ultimately nothing will be done about the ramps or railings before the summer begins.