That’s Elbert With An E

I snapped these pictures today while stopped at the light:

This exit onto Woodland Ferry Road is going to be very nice. Hopefully it will all be finished soon.

Five Points is a mess, Route 13 is a mess, and according to this article they will continue to be that way until June. That’s just sweet.

Can someone answer this question: why did every one of these intersections need to be tore up at the same time? It would make sense if work was started and completed at one location before it was started at another location. Instead, we’ve been subjected to messy intersections for months. Five Points was tore up then left alone without any work being done for a long while. Just this week they did reopen Poplar Street, but now they’ve closed Woodland Ferry Road, right at the time when that road is needed for Little League. Who thought that one through?

From my perspective, Five Points could have and should have been completed long before any other work on Route 13 was even started. After Five Points, then the Route 9 & Route 13 intersection work could have been started then completed, and then the next intersection, then the next, etc. Simply put, one job at a time.

Am I asking for too much? Does anyone have some insight here?

I was alerted to an article on delmarvanow.com regarding Delaware’s bridges. The article states:

Of the state’s 1,457 spans, 33 — or 2.3 percent — are rated as structurally deficient, indicating they scored a 4 or lower on the 0-to-9 federal inspection scale.

And there’s more:

In Delaware, 29 bridges are considered “fracture critical,” meaning that if one main component were to fail, the entire bridge could collapse. Of such fracture-critical spans, five are rated as structurally deficient, placing them on a stepped-up inspection schedule.

Those bridges, which now will be inspected every six months, are located on Rising Sun Lane over the Brandywine and Walnut Street over the Christina River in Wilmington, James Street over the Christina River in Newport, St. Anne’s Church Road over railroad tracks in Middletown and Poplar Street over Broad Creek in Laurel. (emphasis mine)

All the bridges mentioned are upstate with the exception being our Poplar Street bridge. This bridge’s condition is not very comforting for me. I have taken that bridge many times and never thought it would be in poor condition. Maybe the pristine Broadcreek waters have eaten away at the thing during it’s lifetime. I couldn’t tell you how old the bridge is, maybe one of my readers know. Usually, I have only seen one, maybe two vehicles on the bridge at one time. I hope it lasts a long time before it’s replaced. Just based on the fact that it’s not in a high-traffic area and that it is a downstate bridge means that it will probably not be on the express road to replacement.

I was surprised that the Indian River Inlet Bridge wasn’t in the top 5.

The article is at this link.

My friend Keith, who works down at the Woodland Ferry, pointed out that DelDOT has a web page for the Woodland Ferry. It gives an overview of the project. The Woodland Ferry Replacement Project website is here.

My two previous posts are here and here.

Howard has a bit more to say about the ferry. He makes a point that I didn’t but had crossed my mind. Why didn’t they have the new ship ready to go when they took down the old one? I know that new docks need to be built, but is that going to take 11 months? This is yet one more reason why people have issues with DelDOT. From what I can see, it’s pretty sloppy planning. Someone is free to straighten me out on this, politely I might add.

I noticed on the News Journal comments area that some dispute the money being spent on the ferry. Putting up a bridge down there would be a huge mess considering that they have large ships pass through there. Could you imagine how much it would cost to put up a bridge? There would be studies done, committees… good grief it would take 10 years and cost 10 times what it will cost to do the planned fix.

My original post is here.

It has been reported before that the ferry was going to be replaced. Well this weekend will be your last chance to ride the Virginia C. before she goes away. The old lady has been in the water since 1961, and it has served us well. After this weekend, the dock work will begin. The new docks will accommodate the newer vessel. Hopefully my minivan won’t scrape the ramp on the new boat. I might take the pickup out this weekend and ride the old ferry one last time.

The News Journal reports the story here.

Howard down in Delmar pointed out that on December 11, 1925, the town of Laurel got a new traffic light. I don’t know if it was the first, but he points out that our love affair with traffic lights was, at least, present 82 years ago.

Howard down in Delmar has also expressed on this blog:

Could it be the town whose claim to fame is it has the most traffic lights per capita in the state of Delaware will become the town with the most liquor stores per capita?

I’ve written before about Laurel Liquors, our new neighborhood package store (now there’s an old school term for ya!). My ears have been bent regarding the change in the local environment, including reports of seeing someone releaving themselves next to Laurel Liquors and a 40 ounce bottle put through the window of a truck parked on the street behind the store. It’s a beautiful day.

News has also came to me regarding Towne Liquors, the package store by Laureltowne. A new building will be errected where the old warehouse once was, and it will be Towne Liquors new home. This new building will give them more floor space, making it better suited to battle the competition in the town with the most traffic lights and liquor stores per capita.

Howard might be a wise old man, but I’d better not go there.