The Delaware Department of Transportation is pleased to announce that the Main Street Newark rehabilitation project has been completed ahead of schedule by the project’s contractor, A-DEL Construction.

The nearly $12 million project began construction in April 2019 and involved 10 phases of work to perform a complete reconstruction of a mile-long section of Main Street from Washington Street to the Trabant parking garage.

“The finished product we have today will ensure Main Street is a safe and modern thoroughfare for many years to come,” said Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan. “I know this was not an easy project for businesses and residents, and I am grateful for the cooperation and patience of everyone over the past year. While complex, this project went extremely well.”

State Representative Paul Baumbach offered, “At the start, we knew two things–this was a project that was absolutely necessary now, and it would be massively disruptive. Fortunately, DelDOT and its contractor AECOM worked very hard to listen to the Main Street merchants, Newark city staff and residents, incorporating the best ideas and make adjustments where they could, to control the painful impact of such a massive project. We all really appreciate the true partnership behind this project, which we all celebrate today.”

“Few of Delaware’s downtown thoroughfares are as commercially vibrant or as heavily trafficked by vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists alike,” said Senator David Sokola. “That’s what made this project so desperately needed and incredibly complex. Secretary Cohan and the Delaware Department of Transportation deserve a lot of credit for working with the community to get this project finished ahead of schedule. The look and safety of our Main Street has been dramatically improved by this project and, like most Newark residents, I’m thrilled it’s finally over.”

City of Newark Mayor Jerry Clifton commented, “I’m really proud of the businesses that demonstrated fortitude and kept their faith in the City and also of the exceptional work that was done by the DelDOT team. Newark’s Main Street will continue being the pride of Delaware when it comes to main streets.”

In addition to rebuilding the roadway, the project added 31 curb extensions commonly known as “bump-outs,” improved drainage infrastructure, upgraded traffic and pedestrian signals, addressed ADA compliance issues, made necessary utility repairs and upgrades, and the installation of a new kiosk parking system to replace meters.

For more information, visit mainstreetimprovements.com

The Transportation Infrastructure Investment Fund (TIIF) Council, an initiative announced by Governor John Carney in 2019, has made its first recommendations for project funding to Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan and Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock.

The council has recommended eight projects receive a total of $8.8 million in grant funds that will go toward infrastructure investments providing a public benefit and assist in the creation or relocation of more than 1,300 jobs in the state.

“We greatly appreciate the council’s work in reviewing the merits of each applicant and look forward to reviewing their recommendations,” said Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan.

“The TIIF is a unique opportunity to offset infrastructure costs that may have prohibited these companies from expanding here in Delaware and is another tool now available to us to support our business community,” said Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock.

State Representative and council member Bill Bush added, “As chair of the House Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce committee, I continue to advocate for helping businesses grow across our state and I am very pleased with the process we’ve created with TIIF to do just that.”

“The grants provided by TIIF will create a real public benefit and an immediate impact on businesses that are eager to expand and add good jobs in Delaware,” commented Joe Westcott, market president for Capital One and chair of the TIIF Council.

The recommendations put forth by the council are:

TIIF was established to provide economic assistance for renovation, construction, or any other type of improvements to roads and related transportation infrastructure in order to attract new businesses or expand existing businesses in this Delaware, when such an economic development opportunity would create a significant number of direct, permanent, quality full-time jobs.

The members of the TIIF Council appointed by Governor Carney are Rob Book, Martin Nunlee, Cornelia Johnson, Mona Parikh, John Riley, Bill Strickland, and Joe Westcott, who serves as chair. Representative Bill Bush and Senator David Sokola were appointed by their respective chambers to represent the General Assembly on the council.

More information on TIIF can be found at de.gov/TIIF.

DART has announced their “Stuff The Bus” Food Drive in support of the Food Bank of Delaware’s COVID-19 relief efforts. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Food Bank of Delaware has distributed nearly 5 million pounds of food to residents in need. The food drive will be collecting non-perishable donations in support of those continuing efforts during this time of increased demand. We are looking for the public’s help by stopping by one of the drop off locations with their non-perishable donation.

“Stuff The Bus” will be collecting food at five sites throughout the state. The drop off locations, collection dates and times are:

Monday, June 22: Safeway, 19283 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth, 9 AM – 4 PM

Tuesday, June 23: Safeway, 190 John Hunn Brown Rd., Dover, 9 AM – 4 PM

(Corner of S. Bay Rd. at S. Little Creek Rd.)

Wednesday, June 24: ShopRite of Four Seasons, 700 Plaza Dr., Newark, 9 AM – 4 PM

Thursday, June 25: ShopRite of Brandywine Commons, 1300 Rocky Run Parkway, Wilmington, 9 AM – 4 PM

Friday, June 26: ShopRite of First State Plaza, 1600 W. Newport Pike, Stanton, 9 AM – 4 PM

In support of the food drive, on Monday, June 22, The Vault 103.5/106.1 will be live from 12 PM to 2 PM at the Rehoboth Safeway.

DART also encourages the public to donate directly to the Food Bank of Delaware, if they are unable to visit any of the “Stuff The Bus” collection sites. For more information on donating food, contact the Food Bank at 302-292-1305, or visit their website at www.FBD.org. The Food Bank of Delaware is a nonprofit agency committed to ending hunger in Delaware.

The Delaware Transit Corporation, a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), operates DART First State. For more information, please visit DartFirstState.com or call 1-800-652-DART. Real-Time Bus Information and DART Pass, the mobile fare payment option, are both available on the free DART Transit App (iOS and Android).

Temporarily closed on March 17, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 State of Emergency, Delaware’s three toll plazas will resume cash collection at the I-95, Biddles, and Dover Toll Plazas on Thursday, May 21, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. Those drivers operating vehicles without a valid E-ZPass transponder mounted must again use the cash lanes to pay their tolls.

In addition, to the toll cash lanes reopening, all Delaware Toll Plazas will also reopen for walk-in services.

We continue to take every precaution to safeguard our employees and customers by following the guidelines set forth by the Delaware Public Health State of Emergency Declaration, (https://governor.delaware.gov/health-soe/)

More than 70 percent of vehicles passing through Delaware’s toll plazas utilize E-ZPass, and for information on creating an E-ZPass account please visit www.ezpassde.com.

Income Tax Deadlines Extended
State Tax Due Dates Remain Unchanged

Last week, the Delaware Division of Revenue (DOR) announced that the deadlines for taxpayers to file certain personal and corporate income tax returns and payments had been extended to July 15, 2020 due to “rolling conformity” with federal income tax rules adopted by the IRS in response to the COVID-19 emergency.

The new deadline of July 15, 2020 applies to corporate income tax tentative returns due April 15 as well as final personal income tax returns, estimated personal income tax payments, and fiduciary income tax returns each due April 30.

All State of Delaware agencies continue to process State tax filings, accept tax payments, and issue refunds, where applicable. The State is not extending the deadlines for filing returns and payments for other State taxes and fees, including but not limited to the following categories:

• Personal Income Tax Withholding
• Personal Income Tax Estimated Payment due 6/15/2020
• Corporate Income Tax Tentative Payment due 6/15/2020
• Unemployment Insurance Tax (Non-profits and other reimbursable organizations will receive a 90-day deferment on UI payments)
• Corporate Franchise Tax
• LLC, LP, and GP Annual Tax
• Gross Receipts Tax and Business License Renewals
• Realty Transfer Tax
• Tobacco and Cigarette Tax
• Bank Franchise Tax and Fees
• Insurance Taxes and Fees
• Public Utility Tax
• Alcoholic Beverage Tax
• Public Accommodations Tax
• Motor Fuel Tax

State staff are available to respond to taxpayer questions throughout the COVID-19 emergency. Taxpayers are urged to visit the websites of applicable agencies for additional COVID-19 information or call or email the following offices:

Division of Revenue Leslie A. Poland, Community Relations Coordinator leslie.poland@delaware.gov
Division of Unemployment Insurance DOL_UI_Employer_Tax_Questions@delaware.gov Kenneth Briscoe, Communications Coordinator & Public Information Officer kenneth.briscoe@delaware.gov
Division of Corporations Doug Denison, Director of Community Relations douglas.denison@delaware.gov
Delaware Bank Commissioner Dawn Hollinger, Public Information Officer dawn.hollinger@delaware.gov
Delaware Department of Transportation (302-744-2724) Charles McLeod, Director of Community Relations charles.mcleod@delaware.gov