Press Release -- October 23, 2006
Last of Flood-Damaged Bridges Opened in Seaford
Seaford --
Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) Secretary Carolann Wicks officially opened the Route 20 Bridge over Horse Pen Branch Monday, Oct. 23. This event marked the completion of all the emergency bridge and road work done in the Seaford area after the historic flooding this past June.
Moments after the final inspection was complete, Wicks moved the cone and traffic began to flown once more over the bridge.
"Today we are not just celebrating the opening of this bridge, here on Route 20 over the Horse Pen Branch. We are celebrating every bridge and road we repaired and replaced following the torrential downpours of June 25th.
"DelDOT maintenance crews began working to repair the damaged roads and bridges immediately. In the driving rain, they erected barricades, filled in sinkholes and had many roads ready for traffic within a day or two. While crews were fixing the relatively small problems, engineers were wrestling with problems like bridges that were simply gone."
Wicks, a former bridge designer, said building two bridges in two months is almost unheard of.
"As you might have guessed, we do not have a warehouse in Gumboro full of spare bridge parts. Nor is there a catalog where we can order bridges and have them delivered by overnight express shipping. DelDOT engineers, surveyors, utilities, and real estate staff all had to scramble to design the new bridges. For example, our engineers and surveyors were on the scene, taking measurements and writing specifications when the water was still high. Not even sure how deep the holes were, they designed bridges that surpass the ones they replaced. The speed and quality of work was unprecedented. As Secretary and a 23-year employee of the department, I am humbled daily by the work of all the great DelDOT employees."
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