DelDOT preps repair of Cave Neck Road bridge

Delaware Department of Transportation is set to begin a repair project for a bridge on Cave Neck Road leading into Milton.

Work is expected to begin on the project in May, but the timeline of how long repairs will take is still up in the air. Early estimates from DelDOT anticipate work taking 12 weeks, weather permitting. 

DelDOT spokesman Charles “C.R.” McLeod said, “We are waiting for estimates on the needed replacement parts. Safe to say that it will be an extended closure. We should have a better idea by the end of the month on when repair work will begin.”

The bridge is located over Beaverdam Creek on Cave Neck Road between Hudson and Diamond Farm roads. The bridge is a combination of a concrete arch culvert and a concrete frame, and was originally built in 1913, making it one of DelDOT’s oldest bridges. The bridge was widened in 1948.

According to DelDOT, the southwest wingwall of the bridge broke free from the foundation in 2000. The wingwalls help retain fill dirt and roadway paving; the wingwall sits on its own foundation, so the bridge has not been at risk, and DelDOT has made fixes that have held up over the years. However, the wingwall has continued to fail, and the department is trying to avoid possible sinkholes and roadway degradation that would make the bridge unsafe for drivers.

DelDOT is planning to install new 20-foot-wide steel sheet piles that will be capped with concrete coping to hold in fill dirt and paving. The south headwall of the bridge will be demolished, and in its place, DelDOT plans to install what the department calls a moment slab, which will reduce vehicle loading and help provide a safer railing that can better withstand impact from cars.

Work on the project will require a complete road closure on the bridge, with cars to be detoured around the site by using Hudson and Diamond Farm roads. DelDOT officials say the detour will be clearly marked in the field once work begins.