The Delaware Department of Transportation is winding up work on flood-prone Airport Road in the New Castle area.
The project aims to reduce the amount of time the road is closed. However, there are no assurances the road between an Interstate 95 exit and the New Castle Corporate Commons will not be subject to lengthy closings in the future. A number of businesses are located along the road.
The closings are so frequent that some motorists ignore warnings and barriers. The results have ranged from towing bills to water rescues.
A News Journal story in 2017 proclaimed that the flooding issue was being resolved. However, high water has persisted.
Businesses that have included the Sheraton Hotel South have continued to press for improvements.
DelDOT spokesman C.R. McLeod said the department is increasing the height of asphalt in low-lying areas on either side of a bridge.
“The goal is that this will help shorten the length of time the road is closed due to flooding which has become increasingly more common despite the department investing in repairs to the floodgates and the dike system in the area,” McLeod stated. “Once the paving is completed, we will monitor the conditions to see if it does, in fact, help mitigate flooding, but the reality is that the road will still likely continue to flood when we experience the intense rainfalls like we have frequently seen over the past several years.”
Northern Delaware has seen a number of “100-year rainfalls” over the past several years that have affected low-lying areas.
