Savannah Road near bridge to close for three weeks
Savannah Road in Lewes will be closed at the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal drawbridge for three weeks beginning Monday, Jan. 6.
The closure will allow crews from Teal Construction to finish a two-year upgrade of water and sewer pipes. Infrastructure work was completed in the spring, leaving only paver crosswalks at the intersection of Savannah Road, Gills Neck Road and Front Street to complete.
“Rather than doing half at a time and having lane closures, Teal thought they could do it more efficiently if it’s all done at one time,” said Mayor Ted Becker.
Becker said downtown merchants have been informed of the closure, and detours for motorists will soon be posted.
The project started in the fall of 2017, when crews tore up Front Street, a portion of Savannah Road and the parking lot at 1812 Park to add a new 16-inch sewer main to improve efficiency and capacity of the BPW’s wastewater system. Crews also improved water services and removed 80-year-old water mains.
More closures coming
Later this winter, crews will begin a $4 million project to add a new 10-inch PVC water main along Pilottown Road. The project also involves videoing and lining existing sewer pipes.
Lewes Board of Public Works engineer Charlie O’Donnell of George, Miles and Buhr said the project is expected to last six months. If Teal Construction is unable to complete work by May 1, he said, it will be delayed until the fall.
“Good stopping points for this project are tremendously better than the good stopping points we had when we were on Front Street because it’s so busy and tight through there,” O’Donnell said.
BPW President Pres Lee said the new PVC pipe is in line with the BPW’s policy of eliminating all iron and lead from the system.
BPW General Manager Darrin Gordon said a public meeting will be held to discuss the project’s timeline and road closures after the contractor submits a schedule. Work could begin as early as this month, he said.
