Milford chronicle., 1960-12-16
Highway Division
Agrees On New Span

The Delaware Interstate High
way Division today gave the go
ahead signal for a feasibility study
to build a second span parallel to
and in the general area of the pres
ent Delaware Memorial Bridge.
The study, which was undertak-
en- sometime ago, had been tenn
porarily halted by j. II. Tyler Nc
Connell, chairman-director of the
Division, when Bank of Delaware
officials, span trustees, argued
that the report could not be fl
nanced from current bridge funds.
The matter was reviewed by
Bridge attorney James L. Latchum,
with Lester Washburn, a New
York bond expert, and it was final
ly agreed that since, in effect, the
twin-bridges would represent one
operation the study could proper
ly be paid for from current funds.
Colonel Enoch Needles, of How
ard, Needles, Tammen and Bergen
don, consulting engineering firm,
attended today's session of the In
terstate Highway Division, dis
playing. an aerial map of the gen.
eral area and arguing that at pres
eht the dual bridge is the only
feasible solution to Delaware-New
Jersey traffic problems.
Proponents of a Delaware-New
Jersey span opposite the city of
Wilmington or farther north near
the Delaware line were informed
by Colonel Needles that these
points would be feasible so far as
construction is concerned but
would not be practical because of
the current pattern of traffic in
the two states.
He said New Jersey officials
agree that all of the present and
near-future highway construction
is designed to be funneled toward
the present bridge, and that sec
ond span at that spot would be
more practical.
Colonel Needles pointed out that
construction on the Delaware side
is designed in the same manner,
and therefore the second span
would serve Delaware's purpose
to better advantage.
IL is expected that the new
structure will be practically a
duplicate of the present bridge in
design and construction. While
Colonel Needles would make no es-
Inmates, it is generally believed
construction costs would run
from 800 to $120 million. 1t would
be located approximately 100 yards
north of the present structure.
ut appears very clear that the
most feasible and economical ar
rangement will consist of new
structure alongside the present
one, the two to serve as twin
structures; the new, or north
structure to carry one-way traffic
from New Jersey to Delaware and
the existing or south structure to
carry one-way traffic in the re-
verse direction" Colonel Needles
declared.
1.-THE approaches to the twin
structures will be amplified so that
on the New Jersey side there will
be a direct approach to COM
mon interchange which will serve
the New Jersey Turnpike, Route
4U, ftOul6 zoo, anu eAl5LluS Lou,
both to the northward and south
ward ,. =
1.-The approaches on the Della
ware side will provide connection
with New Castle Avenue and
Route 13, together with the future
interchange in the vicinity of New
port, which will bring together
Route 495, Route 95, and the pro-
posed Delaware Turnpike to the
westward. The proposed twin
structures and the necessary high
way approaches will constitute the
new Delaware Memorial Bridge"
Colonel Needles continued
1t was pointed out that to con-
struct a bridge generally opposite
the City of Wilmington would cost
in excess of $2S million over a
corresponding twin structure ad-
jacent to the present span, and
that another $5 million would be
required if construction would be
farther upstream. The fact that
no tie-in highways exist in these
areas brings the conclusion of
non-feasibility, Colonel Needles
said
The finv leland on which fho