“This project is about making iteasier for people to get to work, to school, to the beach and totax-free shopping,” said the Governor Jack Markell.   “BothDelawareans and visitors from out-of-state depend this road anddepend on the state to pave the way.   We want to get it right forsafety and mobility.” 

Speaking to those assembled,Transportation Secretary Shailen Bhatt said, “The need for thiswork was driven by increasing traffic volumes and developmentpressure south of I-95, which has led to reduced levels of servicewithin the area of the Christiana Mall and the I-95 & Route 1Interchange. While morning and evening traffic volumes continue tostruggle, this area also has deteriorating traffic conditions atmany other times of the day and often throughout theweekends.” 

This major project is addingelevated “fly-over” connecting ramps from northbound and southboundRoute 1 to northbound and southbound I-95 which will allow forsmoother merging patterns and the elimination of lengthy backupstypical of the current ramp design. This work is the last phase ofa multi-year, multi-project Interstate Improvement Program that hasincluded; the replacement of the Churchmans Road Bridge over I-95,the fifth-lane widening project, and the reconstruction of the I-95Newark Toll Plaza.  

“This federally-funded improvementproject will allow travelers to quickly and easily drive throughwhat is now a congested part of the highway for those traveling toDelaware’s tax-free shopping and beach attractions,” said Sen.Carper. “Infrastructure projects like these strengthen our economy,decrease traffic congestion and harmful air pollution, and increasehighway safety. That’s what I call a ‘win-win-win’ for Delaware’sresidents and businesses who rely on these vital highways.” 

CherryHill Construction, a Jessup, Maryland-based contractor, wasawarded the construction contract withabid of $85.7 million, the lowest of eight bids received.  Thewinning bid was approximately $20 million below DelDOT’sengineering estimate.   Construction is anticipated to becompleted by October 2013, pending weather, and other factors.    

DelDOT’s engineering estimate of$105 million for construction costs was based on a work schedule of1,153 days, or just over three years.  Cherry Hill Constructiondeveloped their submission on a work schedule of roughly 25 months,or 747 days.  That difference in time resulted in the cost savingsfor the project.  

To mitigate traffic impacts, thecontract was procured using an A + B bidding format. The contractorbids his proposed construction costs (the "A" Portion) and hisproposed contract duration in calendar days (the "B" Portion) whenthey submit the bid. The number of calendar days is then multipliedby a user cost (determined from a user delay calculation that takesinto account traffic, potential detours, delay impacts etc). TheDepartment determines the best value by combining the constructioncosts and the dollar value of the time. The contractor is only paidthe “A” portion for the work performed and is held to the “B”portion for a completion time.  

"Anyone who has sat in I-95 orRoute 1 traffic knows the value of investments in ourinfrastructure to our families, our businesses, and ourcommunities," Senator Coons said. "The Route 1/I-95 Interchange isa gateway to so many of Delaware’s treasured destinations -beautiful beaches, tax-free shopping and outdoor recreationalactivities. It's been a long road, but as the project inches closerto completion, I am pleased that we can finally see a day whensmooth sailing has replaced chronic congestion.  Congratulations toGovernor Markell, Secretary Bhatt and the scores of Delawareans whohave worked on this project over the years.” 

Details on all the proposedprojects can be found online atwww.deldot.gov. For information on allI-95 related projects and how they impact each other can be foundatwww.I95.deldot.gov.