Rehoboth bridge repair work to begin May 1

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The Delaware Department of Transporation will begin working on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal Bridge in Rehoboth Beach and the Savannah Road drawbridge in Lewes on Tuesday, May 1. The electrical and mechanical components are outdated and will be modernized. Each bridge will be painted along with improvements to sidewalks and curbs. Work is scheduled through the summer and into the off-season. Detours and closures will be limited to overnight hours of 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on both bridges. Crews will be allowed to close one lane. The combined cost of both bridge projects is $7 million. The Rehoboth bridge has an average daily traffic total of 22,000 cars per day with a peak of 30,000 cars per day. The Lewes drawbridge has an average daily traffic of 10,000 cars per day. Each bridge is raised an average of 12 times per year. Rehoboth's bridge is more than 30 years old, while Lewes drawbridge is approximately 40 years old. DelDOT officials say the bridges are in good shape structurally, but the bridges get stuck, usually when the steel swells on extremely hot days. For more information on this project, please visit https://deldot.gov/information/projects/