The St. Georges Bridge on Route 13 over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal will be closed from September 10th through January.
Back in February, the bridge’s owner, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District, announced the corps and its contractor will repair structural steel beams.
Motorists will be able to use the adjacent William V. Roth, Jr. (SR-1) Bridge as a detour route. Some motorists may also opt for the Route 9 bridge at Delaware City.
The change is expected to sharply increase traffic on other route. Traffic along Route 13 has increased, due to its lack of tolls and population growth south of the C&D Canal.
The Army Corps awarded a $3.7 million contract to Freyssinet, Inc. for steel beam repairs.
The bridge is one of four that cross the canal in Maryland and Delaware. All bridges regularly undergo lane or full closures for repair work.
Over the years, there have been calls for demolition or extensive repairs for the bridge, which continues to be heavily used as the population grows south of the canal in the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend area. However, population growth and growing traffic levels have made that option less feasible.
Still, the roadway surface of the bridge remains bumpy.
The St. Georges Bridge was constructed in 1941.
