Rehoboth Avenue repaving likely to be pushed to 2024

In an effort to incorporate recently adopted changes to accessibility guidelines found in the Americans with Disabilities Act, it appears Rehoboth Avenue will not be repaved until next fall.

Rehoboth Avenue was last paved when its streetscape project was completed in 2005. In March, city officials announced plans for an avenue-long repaving project that was expected to begin soon after Labor Day. At the time, the city said it is responsible for paving the section from the Boardwalk to Second Street, while the Delaware Department of Transportation is responsible for paving the rest, ending just east of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal drawbridge. The Rehoboth Avenue repaving project is a portion of a larger paving contract for DelDOT that includes areas outside city limits. Charles “C.R.” McLeod, DelDOT spokesman, said the other locations include Country Club Road, from West Side Drive to Shuttle Road; Bay Vista Road, from First Street to Route 1; Shuttle Road, from Country Club Road to Route 1; and Old Bay Road, from Ann Avenue to Route 1.

McLeod said no signage announcing upcoming work has been installed because DelDOT is working on design changes for the city that would incorporate newly implemented guidelines for ADA-compliant parking spaces. The request was made in September and, as a result, those changes will need to be completed before construction can proceed, he said.

“It’s possible some construction could start in early spring on other locations that are part of the contract, and the Rehoboth Avenue work [will] likely [be] moved to after Labor Day 2024,” said McLeod in an email Oct. 4.

Rehoboth Public Works Director Kevin Williams said DelDOT’s ADA coordinator met with city staff members in mid-September and made them aware of new public right-of-way accessibility guidelines. He said staff, working with the city’s engineering consultant JMT, decided it would be best to meet the new standards whenever possible.

“Once that decision was made, we met with DelDOT staff and JMT to review the DelDOT plans and determine where any changes were needed,” said Williams in an email Oct. 4. “Following the most current guidelines, we believe, will provide enhanced accessibility for our residents and visitors.”

Williams said there weren’t a lot of changes – mainly widening several ADA parking spaces, access aisles and new ramps – and that the city doesn’t anticipate the changes will have much of an impact on its projected cost.

In the five-year capital improvement budget, the city has budgeted about $600,000 toward the project – $55,000 in the current fiscal year and $550,000 in next year’s budget. McLeod said DelDOT’s current estimate for the project is about $1.2 million, with the city responsible for about $786,000.

Separately, Lynne Coan, city spokesperson, said the city has not yet been notified by DelDOT that the project has been pushed to fall 2024.

In response, McLeod said once the design modification process is completed, DelDOT will work with Rehoboth on a revised timeline for the work to begin.