The Committee of 100 | FYI Archives

I-95 is going to cause headaches for 544 days beginning in June. The 230,000 vehicles a day that now speed up and down I-95 will crawl through four miles of construction as I-95 gets a fifth lane in each direction between SR1 and the 141 and 295 interchanges. In Phase 1, a new 42-inch high median barrier will be constructed from Churchman’s Road bridge to the I-95 split just South of the 141 interchange and new overhead signs will be installed. In Phase 2, the additional 5th lanes will be built from 141 to SR1 on the Southbound side and from SR1 through the I-295 interchange to just South of the I-495 overpass on the Northbound side.

During construction, travel lanes will not only decrease from standard 12-foot to slower 11-foot lanes, but also, be closed from time to time. While the contractor must keep all lanes open during commuting rush-hours (5-9 a.m. and 3-7 p.m.), it can close lanes as needed to meet the accelerated schedule during non-peak hours. Two-lane night-time closures will be standard. During installation of the new signs, the roadway will be closed completely. In addition, the North-bound I-95 off-ramp to Eastbound 141 will be closed during the entire construction period to provide a staging area. Motorists will have to use Airport Road to Commons Boulevard to 141 and hope that it doesn’t rain (Airport Road floods during rains).

It will not be pretty. I-95 has become Delaware’s main commuting corridor that it grudgingly shares with travelers passing through the State because they pay our high tolls. There isn’t an easy way to avoid I-95. Parallel roads, such as Kirkwood Highway, Route 4, and Route 13, for the most part, take travelers out of the way, are already busy, and don’t all have effective traffic signal synchronization, so the additional traffic from Delawareans who know how to avoid I-95 will make these roads even worse. And, unlike the I-95 reconstruction closure North of Wilmington–which was preceded by multiple intersection and signal improvements in Brandywine Hundred and the City of Wilmington to facilitate non-I-95 movement, and which was inaugurated with free bus service to get people off the roads–there have been few pre-project improvements to ease this I-95 construction project. Plus, there’s no I-495 bypass on which to divert traffic.

There is little that DelDOT can offer to help with the coming migraine. “Take the bus” doesn’t cut it for anyone who has to drive to meetings during the day. “Change your work hours” is the second suggestion. “Meet by teleconference instead of in-person” may become the thing to do. DelDOT will institute its Clear-the-Road policy, which allows it to move non-fatal accidents to the side instead of keeping lanes, or the entire road, closed for State Police investigations. Other than that, there’s little more than, “you’ve been warned.”

The good news is that following construction of this $52 million dollar project, work can commence on the I-95/SR1 interchange which remains the worst in the State and a major bottleneck for anyone simply trying to traverse the State on I-95, let alone head South on SR1. The new I-95/SR1 intersection will, of course, only be built if the General Assembly approves revenue increases for the Transportation Trust Fund (see the April FYI).

BRAC POSSIBILITIES FOR NEW CASTLE COUNTY

The News Journal may have just had its first headlines about BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) that will send over 8,000 federal high-tech jobs to the Aberdeen Proving Ground by 2009, but DEDO (Delaware Economic Development Office), New Castle County, and WILMAPCO (Wilmington Area Planning Council) have been planning and meeting with counterparts in Maryland since shortly after the federal government made its announcement in 2005. In addition to employees in the Communications Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, military and civilian jobs will be coming from Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, Alabama, and Arizona.

Although the military jobs are impressive, it is the high-paying civilian jobs which add up. While the estimated net gain of new positions on the Post is 8,200, there will be 7,500-10,000 contractor positions and over 35,000 direct and indirect new positions moving to the region. Maryland’s BRAC Manager Karen Emery estimates that there will be $2 billion a year in salaries, $100 million in annual income tax revenue, and a $51 million increase in projected annual sales tax revenue for Maryland.

The type of federal positions transferring to the Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) includes electronics, computer, and general engineers; information technology, telecommunication, and logistics managers; and management, program, and budget analysts. The list of businesses currently providing services to the Fort Monmouth, NJ Military base alone–which DEDO has compiled–includes more than 100 companies. The early surveys of military personnel indicate that some will want to live in Delaware because of its schools and urban opportunities. Early discussions with businesses indicate that a number will want to be near the University of Delaware.

In anticipation of meeting the “challenges and opportunities presented by Base Realignment and Closure,” New Castle County Executive Chris Coons has signed on as a Strategic Partner to the Chesapeake Science and Security Corridor Consortium Memorandum of Understanding between executives from the jurisdictions of Harford County, Baltimore County, Cecil County, and Baltimore City. Other Strategic Partners include the Aberdeen Proving Ground, WILMAPCO, Lancaster and York Counties, PA; and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, Greater Baltimore Committee, and Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, MD.

The Chesapeake Science and Security Corridor (CSSC) was initiated in December 2005 as “a coordinated, multi-jurisdictional marketing effort . . . to foster regionally coordinated communication, information, and planning strategies within the Central and Northeastern Maryland Region.” The CSSC Consortium’s goals include supporting rational growth and redevelopment patterns, reviewing infrastructure requirements and constraints, coordinating multi-jurisdictional policies, promoting collaboration and coordination of economic development actions and strategies, and sharing information resources to affect common objectives. In addition, CSSC will join forces in requesting funding from the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) as well as other sources.

Lower Market (LOMA) Street is getting creative. A creative new group, including Preservation Initiatives, The Buccini/Pollin Group, Wilmington Renaissance Corporation, Delaware College of Art & Design, The Archer Group, Wilmington Main Street, The Commonwealth Group, Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, GVA Smith Mack, First State Community Loan Fund, and the City of Wilmington Office of Economic Development, is “Connecting Creativity to Commerce” in the LOMA area. Stay Tuned!