State to Close Al O. Plant Bridge for Repairs Starting Friday
The three-month DelDOT rehabilitation project is expected to continue through mid-August; motorists must find alternate routes to cross the Brandywine River using the 16th Street Bridge,
Market Street Bridge or Interstate 495
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has announced an expected three-month closure of the Al O. Plant (Northeast Boulevard) Bridge beginning Friday night (May 31) at 7:00 p.m., and continuing through Monday, August 26, 2019, weather permitting. The bridge, which crosses the Brandywine River at the intersection of Northeast Boulevard, East 12th Street and North Church Street, will be closed to vehicular traffic beginning Friday. However, DelDOT will keep a sidewalk on the bridge open for the duration of the repair period so pedestrians can cross the span.
DelDOT’s contractor, Eastern Highway Specialists, will be conducting rehabilitation work on the bridge, which is named in honor of former State Representative and community activist Al O. Plant. Detour signage will be posted for motorists. Wilmington police officers will be in the area directing traffic in the early days of the bridge’s closure as motorists learn new travel routes.
Seek Alternate Travel Routes NOW!
Motorists traveling south toward Downtown and South Wilmington via Northeast Boulevard, or those traveling out of the City north from Church Street, who would normally use the Al O. Plant Bridge, will now have to find alternate ways to cross the Brandywine River for the duration of the summer bridge repair project.
Alternate routes include I-495, the 16th Street Bridge, the Market Street Bridge and further west, either the Van Buren Street or Washington Street Bridges. It is important that motorists determine their new travel route now to avoid delays beginning Friday evening at 7 p.m. when the Plant Bridge closes.