The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and local leaders cut the ribbon on the Brecknock Connector Trail in Camden on Wednesday, October 3, 2018.

The project not only created a path between existing trails in Brecknock Park and the POW/MIA Parkway, it also brought an existing pedestrian bridge along Route 13 up to Americans with Disabilities Act Standards.

George & Lynch, a Dover-based contractor, constructed the trail at a cost of $666,000. Eighty percent of the project’s costs were from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program.

“DelDOT is pleased to have completed another link in the Capital City Trail Loop, a 15-mile system of trails that enables bicyclists and pedestrians to travel freely between Dover and Camden,” said DelDOT Secretary Jennifer Cohan. “We are proud to work with our local and federal partners to make Delaware a more walkable and bikeable state.”

Delaware now has more than 500 miles of pedestrian and bike trails throughout the state.

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) was recognized this week at the 2018 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Annual Conference as one of three states to receive the 2018 State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) Excellence Award.

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Center of Accelerating Innovation and the AASHTO Innovation Initiative have partnered to promote innovations and to recognize excellence within a STIC. The STIC Excellence Award recognizes a STIC that has made significant impact toward fostering a strong culture for innovation.

DelDOT was recognized for its commitment to innovation throughout the department. This includes the use of innovative practices on projects such as such as Accelerated Bridge Construction and Ultra High Performance on the Blackbird Creek bridge project, installing High Friction Surface Treatment at 23 locations to reduce roadway departure crashes fatalities and serious injuries, and using Design Build to bundle nearly two dozen culvert replacement projects across the state into one contract, instead of addressing each as an individual project.

The department also held its first annual Innovation Fair in fall 2017 to provide an opportunity for employees to showcase innovations they’ve implemented to improve safety and efficiency, reduce costs, and save time.

Lastly, DelDOT along with two state agencies, the Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Control and Government Information Center, partnered with two non-profit organizations, Open Data Delaware and TechImpact, to host the 2018 Open Data Challenge. Tech savvy teams utilized transportation, environmental and recreation data sets to develop applications that improve accessibility for residents and visitors of the First State.

“We are building a culture of innovation within the Department, and being recognized for our work on a national level is a credit to the DelDOT employees who are working every day to develop and implement these innovative practices,” said Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan.

AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail, and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) was recognized by the Mid-Atlantic Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (MASITE) with the 2018 Project of the Year award.

The $1.5 million project, which was completed this summer, extended the I-495 southbound travel lane 1,700 feet beyond the merge point with I-95 southbound. The project is already showing positive results as average speeds have increased in the afternoon peak hours by almost 30 mph, from 36 mph to 64 mph, eliminating weekday back-ups that were responsible for an estimated 20,000 hours of delay annually for motorists using I-495 southbound. When comparing the last two weeks of August 2017 to August 2018, the average weekday afternoon vehicle travel time along southbound I-495 has been reduced by approximately 2.4 minutes.

The project was developed using DelDOT’s state-of-the-art traffic data collection systems and was based almost entirely on traffic analyses performed using a microsimulation model (VISSIM). The early results show that the improvements being realized match the VISSIM model’s predicted conditions almost exactly, easing the recurring congestion on I-495.

“DelDOT continues to integrate new technology to help us solve infrastructure problems small and large,” said Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan. “I am proud of the DelDOT team and our partners on this project, RK&K Engineering and Mumford and Miller Concrete, Inc., for the design and execution of this project that was completed in a relatively short time-frame, reducing traffic congestion for thousands of motorists each day.”

MASITE is one of over 80 local/regional chapters of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). The MASITE section covers Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Delaware and West Virginia, and currently has over 600 active members.

Expo to expose students, career-seekers to careers in construction

WILMINGTON, Del. – On Friday and Saturday at the Chase Center on the Riverfront, Governor John Carney and a dozen partner organizations will host the first Governor’s Construction Career Expo to expose Delaware students and Delawareans exploring a career change to careers in construction.

The construction industry is one of Delaware’s fastest-growing employment sectors with more than 3,500 job openings expected through 2024. The Governor’s Construction Career Expo will introduce training and career paths to students and those looking to move from jobs to meaningful careers. The Governor’s initiative is also an opportunity to connect employers and career-seekers, and to continue to train and develop a strong, skilled Delaware workforce.

“We’re working hard to make sure that all Delawareans have the opportunity to succeed and share in our state’s economic progress,” said Governor Carney. “Careers in construction have provided paths into the middle class for thousands of Delaware workers and their families. Those same opportunities exist today. This Construction Career Expo will help connect Delawareans with meaningful career opportunities in construction fields, and expose Delaware students and adults to good-paying, skilled construction careers that are in demand and can help strengthen Delaware’s workforce.”

On Friday, September 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Chase Center in Wilmington, middle school students from various schools in New Castle County will have the opportunity to participate in one of three scheduled blocks to meet with employers, sample fun activities and tools, and participate in heavy equipment demonstrations and virtual simulators. This specialized field trip was coordinated with school principals and school districts.

“We have planned an amazing event for nearly 2,000 middle school students on Friday that features 65 interactive experiences representing 35 different trades all under one roof, presenting all the opportunities the construction industry has to offer Delaware’s workforce,” said Alisha Bryson, Vice President of Wayman Fire Protection, Inc., who served as the Expo planning committee chairperson. “Then for the community event on Saturday, we have all of this plus 20 job training programs providing information on how to acquire the skill sets needed to enter high-paying construction careers.”

All students, families, and members of the public, are invited to attend the Construction Career Expo on Saturday, September 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Chase Center in Wilmington. The free family-oriented career fair will include activities for both youth and adults, skills training opportunities, on-site job interviews, heavy equipment demonstrations, and food trucks. Representatives from more than 50 local companies will be on hand Saturday to help Delawareans learn about high-wage jobs, and discover skills training opportunities.

“We are excited to showcase the different construction trades and the growing opportunities for careers in Union construction,” said James Maravelias, President of the Delaware Building and Construction Trades Council.

“We appreciate the Governor’s support in holding this expo to showcase the entire construction industry,” said Edward J. Capodanno, President of Associated Builders and Contractors, Delaware Chapter. “It is an outstanding opportunity for the industry to show the availability for great paying jobs where you receive training and the ability to advance in a career while being a productive citizen in the First State.”

“The Delaware Contractors Association is most pleased to be actively involved in this unique partnership. Working in cooperation with the Governor’s office, other business organizations and organized labor gives us an excellent opportunity to introduce construction to many of the young students in our schools,” said John J. McMahon Jr., Interim Executive Vice President of the Delaware Contractors Association. “Hopefully these students will realize the potential in our industry as they continue their studies, and give serious consideration to pursuing a career in construction.”

“I feel most fortunate to have worked with a group of such collaborative professionals from both the private and public sectors whose focus was only to plan and execute a valuable educational and informative event for Delaware’s students and the community,” said Victoria C. Gehrt, Ed.D., Superintendent of New Castle County Vo-Tech School District.

The Governor’s Construction Career Expo is presented in partnership with:

• Office of the Governor
• AFSCME
• Delaware State AFL-CIO
• Delaware Building and Construction Trades Council
• Delaware Chief School Officers Association
• Delaware Contractors Association
• Delaware Department of Education
• Delaware Department of Labor
• Delaware Department of Transportation
• Associated Builders and Contractors
• Delaware Technical Community College
• The Committee of 100
• City of Wilmington

Visit de.gov/build to learn more about the expo and join the conversation online using the hashtag #DEBuilds.

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Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC), operating DART First State, is continuing to invest in passenger facilities in Wilmington and will be replacing and installing new shelters on King Street beginning this week and continuing over the next month. The new shelters will be located at King and 3rd, King and 6th, King and 8th, King and 9th, and King and 10th. In addition, shelters will be installed on South Market at South Shipley, the old B&O railroad building, and North French at 9th Street. These improvements total almost $116,000, and DTC also has another $300,000 in city bus stop improvements planned for this fiscal year.

“Following recent bus route changes in downtown Wilmington, we heard and listened to concerns about the need for additional benches and shelters for our riders, and that’s the reason we are making these important investments,” said Governor John Carney. “We believe that affordable public transit and transportation infrastructure improvements are key to investing in our city and Wilmington’s downtown area. Over the next several years, we will invest $250 million in transportation improvements in and around the city, including in new transit improvements, the new Christina River bridge, and the transit center adjacent to the Biden train station. These are important investments that will strengthen our city, help create jobs, and improve transit in and around Wilmington.”

Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan added, “Providing cover from the elements will improve comfort and convenience for all of our riders along these routes and are another example of the improvements we continue to make in Wilmington.”

“We are committed to providing safe, efficient, and reliable transit services in Wilmington and across Delaware,” said Delaware Transit Corporation CEO John Sisson. “We understand that the strength and vitality of Wilmington is key to the health and success of the state, and these improvements are a result of the feedback we’ve received from our riders in the city.”

Over the past eight months, DTC has invested $120,000 in passenger facility improvements within the city, including the installation of new bus shelters along French, 9th, 10th, and Washington Streets; a second shelter at the Wilmington Amtrak Station bus stop and at the heavily used stop on King Street at 3rd Street.

In addition, DTC has secured a $2.45 million federal grant for improvements along Orange Street, including the plan to convert the current one-way, northbound street into a two-way street by adding a southbound bus lane from 10th to 4th Streets. This project, brought forth to the community through Wilmington Initiatives, comprised of DTC, DelDOT, City of Wilmington and the Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO), is currently being finalized and is a key piece of the infrastructure improvements that will support an optimal transit system, including ADA-compliant bus stops and pedestrian access with new bus shelters and amenities.

This fall, ground will be broken on the new Wilmington Transit Center near the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Train Station. The transit center, set to open next year, will feature customer amenities including an indoor, seated waiting area, access to restrooms, USB charging stations, Wi-Fi, and vending machines.