Route 9 rail crossing to close for repairs

Part of Route 9, a major east-west Sussex County road, will be closed for three weeks later this month for much-needed repairs to a railroad crossing.

Starting at 10 a.m., Friday, Sept. 30, Delaware Coast Line Railroad and Delaware Department of Transportation will begin work at the Route 9/Cool Springs Road intersection to replace the rails and repair the roadway. DelDOT officials said work will take place seven days a week during daylight hours through Friday, Oct. 21, depending on weather.

Portions of the concrete rail crossing are crumbling, creating safety issues and a bumpy roadway. “Our goal is to get the work done as soon as possible,” said Bob Perrine, DelDOT's railroad program manager.

Perrine said the tracks were encased in concrete 30 years ago, and repairs are no longer possible; replacement is the only option. “Once the concrete breaks away, we can't repair it,” he said.

“It's never good to close a road and especially a major beach access road,” said DelDOT spokesman Geoff Sundstrom. “We chose this time to have the least possible impact on the community and summer traffic, and get done before the big festival weekends at the beach.”

The project can't be completed during the winter because asphalt cannot properly set in cold temperatures, said spokesman Jim Westhoff. In addition, crews can't keep one lane open because the steel rails have to be removed and replaced all at the same time to ensure they are perfectly flat, he said.

Perrine said the 310-foot-wide crossing at Cool Springs Road is the longest railroad crossing in the state. He said a typical crossing is 40-to-50-feet wide, and repair projects take about a week to complete. But the length and scope of work at this crossing will take much longer, he said. Railroad contractors will work during all available daylight hours, but are not set up to work at night, he said.

Project is one of several on the rail line

The work is part of a much larger rail-crossing repair project that includes seven other crossings from Georgetown to Lewes and five crossings from Milton to Ellendale. “No work has been done on most of the crossings for a long, long time,” Perrine said.

Perrine said DelDOT officials will work with the contractor – hired by Delaware Coast Line Railroad – to establish a timeline to get as much work completed as possible before winter.

As soon as work is completed at the Cool Springs Road crossing, crews will start improvements to the Gills Neck Road crossing where the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail connects with the Junction and Breakwater Trail, Perrine said.

One of the key crossings on the list is on Savannah Road at the entrance to Lewes. Other crossings include Nassau Road, Steiner Road, Harbeson Road and Park Avenue and Gravel Hill near Georgetown.

Work has already been completed on Sweetbriar Road with work planned for the Log Cabin Road crossing.

Upgraded crossings – complete with new signage – along the path of Phase 1 of the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail have been completed, including Kings Highway and several side streets in Lewes.

Westhoff said a significant outreach program is underway to alert residents and businesses about the road closure. He said legislators and town officials have been briefed and school district officials have been contacted.

Detour routes:

Traveling westbound on Route 9 – Dairy Farm Road to Fisher Road

Traveling eastbound on Route 9 – Fisher Road to Dairy Farm Road

Project updates will be posted at www.facebook.com/delawaredot