Construction Advisory Group Route 141 – Kirkwood Highway to Faulkland Road

Construction Advisory Group
Route 141 – Kirkwood Highway to Faulkland Road
MEETING MINUTES – July 13, 2009

Date: July 13, 2009
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: DuPont Chestnut Run Plaza, Bldg. 700
Wilmington, Delaware 19805

Present:
The Honorable Deborah Hudson
The Honorable Joseph Reda
Mr. Robert Bristow – DuPont Co.
Mr. Eryl Roth – Ferris School
Mr. Al Conner – Berca
Mr. Wayne Ashbee – Woodland Heights
Ms. Chris McEvilly – Care 141
Mr. Charles Stirk – Brookland Terrace
Ms. Phyllis Berggnun – Willow Run
Mr. Bernie Berggnun – Willow Run
Ms. Theresa Riddleberger – Willow Run
Dr. Joshua Ayers – Brookland Terrace
Mrs. Edie Realey – Willow Run
Mr. Steven Fullett – Willow Run
Mr. Zachary Weir – Brookland Terrace
Mr. Harry Cooper – DelDOT
Mr. Mark Buckalew – DelDOT
Mr. Robert King – DelDOT
Ms. Misty Seemans – DelDOT

Bob King called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.

Mark Buckalew updated the group on the project’s progress during construction:
1. Work is currently slightly behind schedule.
2. Current work includes:
a. The precast concrete beams for Bridge 1-143 will be set on Thursday, July 16. The bridge deck will begin following the beam replacement. This is the bridge over the creek near Brookland Avenue.
b. Paving on the northside of Faulkland Road is now complete and traffic will be switched on Monday, July 20. This will allow work to begin on the southside of Faulkland Road. Traffic in and out of Willow Run Drive to and from Faulkland Road will be limited to right turns only. No left turns will be permitted. This will be a temporary situation, lasting about two weeks. Caleb Terrace will be closed but traffic will be able to enter and exit via Wagoner Drive.
c. A new Artesian Water Company main will continue to be installed along the Route 141 southbound travel lanes south of Bridge 1-143. There will not be any disturbance of service or pressure during this time.
d. The new proposed retaining wall and decorative fence along the Montgomery Road Extension has begun. This work will take approximately two months to complete.
e. Reconstruction of the proposed Route 141 southbound travel lanes has begun from north of Bridge 1-143 to Faulkand Road. This work involves shifting entrance closures for Wagoner and Lowry Drives, and the service entrance to the Woodland Apartments. Access will be maintained for the homes along Route 141 between Wagoner Drive and Lowry Drive.
f. Work on Bridge 1-600, the Route 141 bridge over Kirkwood Highway, has restarted completing with the touch up painting and concrete sealing.

General discussion ensued:
1. A resident asked whether roadway striping would be painted during construction on Route 141.
a. Mark said the traffic switch would impact new lane striping. But some of the striping on Route 141 would be touched up.
2. A resident asked if a barricade, like guardrails, would be installed between southbound Montgomery Lane and northbound Route 141. He said at nighttime the opposing traffic lights are confusing.
a. FOLLOW-UP from Project Manager Tom Brooks: Presently northbound traffic is traveling on the future shoulder. When the project is completed northbound Route 141 traffic will be located 11 feet away from the current position. Presently, there is no plan to place a barrier at this location.
3. A resident asked if the break in median between on Gilpin Drive between the Mexican store and the Italian restaurant is permanent.
a. FOLLOW-UP from Project Manager Tom Brooks: Yes, that is the permanent roadway configuration.
4. A resident asked if the Stop sign at Field Road and Gilpin Drive is permanent.
a. FOLLOW-UP from Project Manager Tom Brooks: Yes, DelDOT Traffic studies section conducted an evaluation of the intersection at the request of the working group because of the on-street parking near the intersection. Traffic studies recommended placing the Stop sign and extending the no parking zone on Field Road and Gilpin Drive.
3. A resident asked if the Route 141 bridge over Kirkwood Highway is going to be painted.
a. Mark said the bridge would be painted in July.
4. Rep. Deborah Hudson asked why DelDOT does not use anti-graffiti covering.
a. Mark said anti-graffiti covering is expensive and time restrictive. A crew must power wash graffiti off of the surface within one week. Mark explained that the overpass is a major target and it is easier and cheaper to paint over graffiti. Mark said the department has opted to cover the retaining wall in anti-graffiti coating because it will be painted to look like stone and would be expensive to touch up if tagged.
5. A resident asked about when construction on Route 141 in front of Brookland Terrace would be finished.
a. Mark said that work is progressing on the bridge over the creek. Artesian water lines need to be put in, then the bridge deck, then the stone and pavement, and then there will be work south of the bridge.
6. A resident asked about the new traffic pattern on Route 141.
a. Mark said that there would be no frontage road south of the bridge. Upon project completion, there would more of a front yard and a little bit of a shoulder.
7. A resident asked about cleaning up graffiti on a contractor’s trailer.
a. Mark said the contractor would clean it up.
8. A resident asked about landscaping. The resident would like a berm.
a. Mark said there is no room for a berm because of the bike/pedestrian path.
b. A resident said a bike/pedestrian path is not wanted by the homeowner.
c. A resident said the civic association would not pay for light costs to illuminate the path.
d. FOLLOW-UP: The bike/pedestrian path will not be eliminated to build a berm. The path is needed to meet American Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements to allow a safe way to walk along the corridor. No berm will be built.
9. A Ferris School representative asked about whether the facility’s entrance on to Route 141 would be put back to the way it was before it was disturbed.
a. Mark said yes.
10. Councilman Joe Reda said he would support a berm the full-length of Route 141 from the Roselle subdivision to Faulkland Road.
a. FOLLOW-UP: Please see item 8.d.
11. A resident asked if there would be a median between the northbound and southbound lanes on Route 141.
a. Mark said there would be an 8’-12’-wide median.
b. A resident asked about how the median would be installed.
c. Mark said that after southbound Route 141 lanes are completed, traffic would be split to the outside lanes and then the crew would build the median.
12. A resident said there were not too many complaints about the construction over the past few months.
13. A resident asked when the streets in Brookland Terrace would be paved.
a. Mark said that issue does not fall under this contract.
b. Rep. Hudson said she paid for Elm Avenue to be resurfaced with her Community Transportation Funds (CTF).
c. Harry Cooper said CTF work would be separate from Route 141 work. He said the construction equipment would be out of Brookland Terrace by December 2009 at the latest.
d. FOLLOW-UP from CTF Manager Austin Wade: The only road in Brookland Terrace that is scheduled to be paved on a CTF contract at this time is Elm Avenue and the limits are from Rt. 141 to the end. This road was funded with CTF monies from Rep. Hudson. This work is on contract 29-031-04. The contractor, Fontana Concrete Contractors Inc., has been informed that he must coordinate the work with Mark Buckalew so that he does not interfere with the Route 141 project. The paving will begin at the limits of the 141 project so there is no impact to the curb work or grades.

Following these questions, the meeting ended at about 5:40 p.m.