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Del. I-495 emergency closure

Started by Alps, June 02, 2014, 08:09:43 PM

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Alps

http://news.yahoo.com/del-closes-495-bridge-because-column-tilt-233626531.html


Unknown why the columns are tilting, but I-495 is closed over the Christina River until they figure out why. I think it's overkill to close it at the state line SB - the northern half of I-495 is still a decent route to downtown and the best access to the northern industrial area. I-95 is going to be reaaaally ugly until this gets resolved.


elsmere241

#1
I think the idea is through traffic stays off 495 and doesn't get dumped somewhere.  The News Journal does clarify:

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/traffic/2014/06/02/closure-start-pm/9880265/
QuoteNorthbound traffic must exit I-495 at Terminal Avenue. Southbound traffic is being diverted at the Pennsylvania line, although a lane is open to local traffic through 12th Street.

NJRoadfan

Bridge problems aren't new to this area.

http://www.wdel.com/blog/post.php?postid=545

Note that the Christina River I-495 bridge is on the "fracture critical" list!

Brian556


Duke87

Quote from: Brian556 on June 02, 2014, 11:25:32 PM
How old is this bridge?

1974 according to the article. So, 40 years.

Logic would seemingly dictate this must be a foundation issue, but the question is what, exactly?
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

Brian556

This seems rather rare. Usually the piers are deep enough to prevent this from happening. Sounds like they are not anchored in bedrock.

ixnay

I seem to remember the 495 bridge was closed for about a week around 1988 due to a tanker truck rolling off the bridge and bursting into flames under it.

ixnay
The Washington/Baltimore/Arlington CSA has two Key Bridges, a Minnesota Avenue, and a Mannasota Avenue.

Alps

From the first rush hour, here's your 7:45 traffic report: 95 SB is backed up from downtown Wilmington to Exit 2 in PA. 95 NB is backed up from the 495 split through Exit 3/DE 273 and down DE 1 toward DE 273 as well. In terms of alternates, 141 SB is ugly approaching 95, and 141 NB is backed up from DE 48 through Exit 6/DE 2. It appears that 495 SB _is_ now open north of the bridge, with E. 12th St. stopped dead from there west to US 13.

jeffandnicole

495 opened in 1974.  Less than 20 years later, the concrete roadway had to be removed and replaced due to very premature failing, which involved a massive reconstuction effort on a relatively new highway.  20 years after that and support piers are tilting.

Depending on their destination, some drivers will head over to Jersey and take 295 or the NJ Turnpike.  This particular morning, a truck fire had the Turnpike shut down between 1 & 3, so 295 had to handle a lot of diverted traffic this morning.

KEVIN_224

Now I'm wondering how this will affect me and two others when we head to Wilmington in two weeks for the Carolina League All-Star Game at Frawley Stadium? I know I-95 Exit 6 (northbound) is fairly close to the park.

jeffandnicole

Depends on what they find.  If they reopen the road within 2 weeks, then it won't affect you at all.  If it remains closed, then the worst of it would be heavier than normal traffic on 95.

elsmere241

DE 141 south was a bear this morning, but there wasn't the usual lane-shifting where the cattle chute comes in.  I hope that at least some of those who take 141 south to 95 north will get a clue and go into Wilmington a different way.

Port traffic from the north is being diverted to I-95 south through Wilmington, then I-295 "north" to DE 9 north.

elsmere241

#12
Quote from: Alps on June 03, 2014, 07:51:28 AMIt appears that 495 SB _is_ now open north of the bridge, with E. 12th St. stopped dead from there west to US 13.

And US 13 takes local streets through Wilmington between 4th and 11th streets.  That isn't stopping some people from going that way - see http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/traffic/2014/06/02/closure-start-pm/9880265/

PHLBOS

#13
Looks like PennDOT/DelDOT's refusal to remove may need to finally remove this City/Port of patch (over Port of) and the LOCAL & THRU TRAFFIC patches following the conclusion of a construction project several years ago now seems justified.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

elsmere241

Quote from: PHLBOS on June 03, 2014, 11:15:21 AM
Looks like PennDOT/DelDOT's refusal to remove this City/Port of patch (over Port of) following the conclusion of a construction project several years ago now seems justified.

Except that sign's on I-495.  I hope PennDOT has it covered up by now.

PHLBOS

Quote from: elsmere241 on June 03, 2014, 11:20:27 AMExcept that sign's on I-495.  I hope PennDOT has it covered up by now.
Oops.  Earlier post has since been corrected.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

jeffandnicole

Quote from: elsmere241 on June 03, 2014, 11:20:27 AM
Quote from: PHLBOS on June 03, 2014, 11:15:21 AM
Looks like PennDOT/DelDOT's refusal to remove this City/Port of patch (over Port of) following the conclusion of a construction project several years ago now seems justified.

Except that sign's on I-495.  I hope PennDOT has it covered up by now.

The sign would be left as is for now.

In order to cover it up, PennDOT would need to get a piece of green sheeting and shut down 2 lanes of 95.  It's not exactly something that can be done at a moment's notice.  And what if they determined the road was safe?  Then PennDOT would have to go back, shut down 2 lanes again, and remove the greenout.

Why two lanes?  They shouldn't be doing sign work over active lanes of travel.

Hopefully they have the VMS on ahead of the split - that would suffice in a situation like this.

Emergency construction to do some road work is one thing.  To quickly change an overhead sign is more involved.  Once it's determined what needs to be done to 495, then DelDOT/PennDOT can proceed with any modifications to that sign, if necessary.


elsmere241


Zeffy

It'll be interesting to see how bad traffic gets coming home during rush hour tonight. As for current traffic, here's what Google is showing me:



Traffic is still being snarled on the Exit 2 offramp leading to DE 9 it seems.
Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders

jeffandnicole

On 95 North, there's only one permanent VMS sign in all of Delaware - between Interchanges 1 & 3.  There was one between 4 & 5 but it had been removed. 

I happened to be in Delaware yesterday, and only noticed 1 or 2 portable VMS signs with the closure.  They were on the right shoudler, so no less than one or two lanes away from the travel lanes one would need to access 495.

The message was:

495 NB                 USE
CLOSED                 I-95
EXIT 2                AS ALT

If this remains the case today, it would be extremely easy to miss those signs.  Not only would someone's eye not be focusing towards the right when they are heading pretty much to the left, but a truck or even a SUV could be in the line-of-sight, blocking the sign.

For as important of a road as I-95 is, I find the lack of those signs unfortunate.  Maybe they need to raise the tolls for the money to install new ones.  :-/

SteveG1988

Roads Clinched

I55,I82,I84(E&W)I88(W),I87(N),I81,I64,I74(W),I72,I57,I24,I65,I59,I12,I71,I77,I76(E&W),I70,I79,I85,I86(W),I27,I16,I97,I96,I43,I41,

elsmere241

#21
Time for some temporary signage?

http://delonline.us/1pDg1dD
QuoteI-495 bridge closure to last weeks, not days

Melissa Nann Burke, The News Journal 2:55 p.m. EDT June 3, 2014
Road will close in both directions between Terminal Avenue and 12th Street due to bridge problem.

The closure of Interstate 495 caused major delays for commuters Tuesday morning. DelDOT reported major delays on southbound I-95 from the Pennsylvania line to Harvey Road during the morning rush.  And it sounds like motorists should get used to that for a while. Interstate 495 is closed indefinitely while bridge inspectors investigate a problem with the concrete columns supporting the highway's span over the Christina River in Wilmington, state officials said Monday. A Delaware Department of Transportation engineer said at a Tuesday briefing that the bridge closure will be weeks, not days, as crews must work to shore up the structure.

That segment of I-495 carries an average 90,000 vehicles a day, and Tuesday's morning rush hour traffic felt the pinch.  "We had some tractor trailers going down Fourth Street," said Cpl. Mark Ivey, spokesman for Wilmington Police. "Those streets downtown are just not meant for heavy truck traffic."  Ivey said city officials are working with DelDOT to establish detours to divert particularly large vehicles around the city.  "We're expecting delays again during the evening rush," he said. "Anyone who does head into the city should expect that."

Northbound traffic must exit I-495 at Terminal Avenue. Southbound traffic is being diverted to I-95 at the Pennsylvania line, although a lane is open to local traffic through 12th Street.

Alex

Too bad the 12th Street Expressway was never constructed, at least Wilmington traffic would have had that as an option from the north.

Quote from: elsmere241 on June 03, 2014, 03:06:04 PM
Time for some temporary signage?

http://delonline.us/1pDg1dD

QuoteDuring the early 1990s, motorists endured years of disruptions along the same highway when premature cracking in roadbed concrete forced the replacement of the entire stretch of interstate.

It took two years to replace the pavement all along Interstate 495 (I have road video from then to fondly remember it...). The same process occurred with the Delaware 141 freeway roadbed, resulting in lengthy reconstruction.

Alex4897

The morning rush has turned I-95 north into a parking lot back to DE 273 (at least from when I drove through it this morning).
Glad my last day of school was today, I won't have to put up with this mess.

QuoteDelDOT is looking at setting up a temporary traffic signal where motorists exit I-495 northbound onto Terminal Avenue.

Someone should get a picture of this.  :-P
👉😎👉

lepidopteran

Should the bridge need to be rebuilt, would it still need the same navigational clearance it does now?  The Port of Wilmington is before the Interstate crossing, after all.   Anyone know how often the draw spans on US-13 and such are opened these days?  The nearby railroad swing bridge appears to stay open unless a train comes by.



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