4 months of lane closures for Concord Pike, Naamans Road

Concord Pike near Concord Mall (Dough4872 photo from Wikimedia Commons)

A Delaware Department of Transportation plan to “create a continuous and connected pedestrian network” along Concord Pike and Naamans Road calls for up to four months of lane closures near the busy Brandywine Hundred intersection.

DelDOT, which once planned everything for motor vehicles and then fit in bicyclists and pedestrians, for the last decade has been following a complete streets policy, promoting “safe access for all travelers.” That includes motorists, public transit users, bicyclists, pedestrians of all ages and those with disabilities.

The policy follows the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1900, a 2009 executive order by then-Gov. Jack Markell and various federal guidelines.

Concord Pike/Route 202 is one of Delaware’s busiest retail corridors, filled with stores for the two miles from Fairfax to the Pennsylvania line. Naamans Road/Route 92 has a fair amount of retail as well.

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Concord Mall and the Brandywine Town Center are both basically within walking distance of the intersection, but few would now want to navigate across the multiple lanes of either road. Wilmington University recently built its Brandywine campus, on the southwest corner of the intersection, with bike parking, as part of its desire to welcome different transportation modes.

Grassbusters Landscaping Co. will begin pedestrian improvements on Monday, May 3, and the work is anticipated to be complete by late-August, pending weather, DelDOT said.

The project covers Concord Pike from south of Concord Mall to Brandywine Town Center, with dedicated pedestrian phase crossings at key intersections and lighting along the project limits. Motorists can anticipate these lane closures:

• Nighttime lane closures from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Concord Pike northbound and southbound from south of Concord Mall to Brandywine Town Center.

• Nighttime lane closures from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. on Naamans Road.

• Intersection work may occur from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m., including weekends.

• Grassbusters might also work from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with shoulder closures along Concord Pike from south of Concord Mall to Brandywine Town Center.

Ken Mammarella

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