Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

St. Georges Bridge reopens over C&D Canal after 18 months of repairs

Elected officials cut ribbon on the newly repaired St. Georges Bridge over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on Friday in New Castle County, Del.
Sarah Petrowich
/
Delaware Public Media
Elected officials cut ribbon on the newly repaired St. Georges Bridge over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on Friday in New Castle County, Del.

After 18 months of major repairs, the St. Georges Bridge over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal has reopened.

Just over a year and a half ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed the St. Georges Bridge for necessary repairs to the bridge deck, median barrier, steel railing, fencing and expansion joints.

Friday, the Corps along with elected state and federal officials, Boy Scouts from Troop 123 of St. Georges and local cyclists cut ribbon on the completed $46.4 million project.

St. Georges Bridge is one of the few highway bridges in the nation that the Corps owns and operates, which Philadelphia District Commander Lt. Col. Jeffery Beeman explains is due to the bridge’s tie to the C&D Canal.

Beeman joined elected officials in celebrating the efficiency of the project, which was completed on time.

“We have a saying in the Army Corps of Engineers, we safely deliver projects on time and within budget – we don't always hit all four of those. We prioritize the safety and the quality because that's what everybody remembers, right? But we really nailed all four on this project," Beeman said.

Beeman says to upkeep the improved structural condition, engineers will conduct formal inspections of the bridge every two years from this point forward.

The bridge's closure temporarily rerouted all traffic to the Route 1 Roth Jr. Bridge for the past 18 months.

State Sen. Nicole Poore (D-New Castle), who’s district covers the entirety of the St. Georges Bridge, thanked Sen. Tom Carper for ensuring the Roth Bridge served as a traffic relief bridge and not a replacement for the now restored historic landmark.

“It is now codified into legislation that this bridge will not be torn down, but instead will always be maintained for future generations," Poore said during her remarks.

Several bicycling groups attended the reopening of the bridge for a celebratory cycle over its entirety with a new and improved bike lane.

The bridge reopened for public traffic as of 2 p.m. Friday.

Before residing in Dover, Delaware, Sarah Petrowich moved around the country with her family, spending eight years in Fairbanks, Alaska, 10 years in Carbondale, Illinois and four years in Indianapolis, Indiana. She graduated from the University of Missouri in 2023 with a dual degree in Journalism and Political Science.