Q1 2018

www.acpa.org Quarter 1, 2018 11 D E L A W A R E Reconstructed US 301 Addresses Congestion and Safety Issues Road is second major concrete project since early 2000s By Sheryl S. Jackson U.S. HIGHWAY 301 BEGAN AS A TWO-LANE UNPAVED ROAD, connecting farms, businesses and towns. Since the 1950s, the highway, which extends from Maryland through Delaware to connect to US Route 40, has seen an increase in traffic and congestion as commercial and residential growth has expanded. To address the increased volume and growing safety concerns, the highway is getting a new life as a four-lane toll road with electronic tolling. “A new and upgraded US 301 in Delaware has been talked about since the mid-1960s,” says Kenneth L. Cimino, public outreach coordinator for the US 301 Mainline Project, Delaware DOT. “The existing highway has been built and upgraded in various stages over many years. While it is in good pavement condition, there are numerous traffic signals and driveways, and in some places, there is only one lane in each direction, which contributes to the safety and congestion issues.” The Federal Highway Administration approved the plans for a new corridor in 2008 and con- struction began in 2015 on the new, $470-million, four-lane electronic toll road that will bypass the existing highway. “The 14-mile corridor is being built to address safety, the mixture of local and regional traffic, and the high percentage of trucks in this impor- tant commercial corridor,” says Cimino. “It will also address congestion in the Middletown area and below the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, the highest population and commercial growth area in New Castle County Delaware.”The high- way is scheduled to open in December 2018. The US 301 mainline travel lanes and shoulders are being constructed with concrete to produce a 40-year pavement. “Concrete for the main- line travel lanes was chosen through a detailed continues on page 13 »