Post Date: 06/14/2017 12:00 PM

City is spending $6 million to repave streets and will spend $3.6 million to continue a water meter replacement program pending City Council approval

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki today announced details concerning two major infrastructure projects to improve the physical condition of City streets and ensure that the City will continue to produce and City water customers will continue to receive accurate water bills. Purzycki said a $6 million street repaving project is already underway in Wilmington, with 46 projects completed or expected to be to be completed by June of 2018. (The list of street projects is presented at the end of this news release). The Mayor said the City also plans to re-start an urgent water meter replacement program in July, pending City Council’s approval of a $3.6 million bond anticipation note (BAN) that will finance the project.

Wilmington’s Public Works Department began a system-wide meter replacement program in 2016, but stopped the work last month when funding was exhausted. The Mayor said water meters installed more than 14 years ago during the City’s last meter replacement program are beginning to reach their service delivery limit, making it imperative that new meters be installed for both residential and business accounts. So far, only about 20% of meters have been replaced, which the Mayor says makes the next phase of the program crucial.

“Citizens hear their government representatives talk about how important it is to fund infrastructure projects,” said Mayor Purzycki. “That discussion usually occurs during the City’s annual budget debate, so it’s important to keep citizens informed about how their tax dollars are being spent. In this instance, citizens are funding an improved road surface system for more hassle-free travel, and an improved water billing system for the City’s 40,000 water service customers.”

Wilmington’s Public Works Commissioner Jeffrey Starkey and Finance Director Patrick Carter said if City Council eventually approves legislation that will be introduced Thursday to fund the water meter replacement program, the City anticipates that all meters will be replaced by December of 2018.

City streets that are either being totally or partially milled and repaved include:

Street Name From To Jefferson Street W. 36th Street W. 31st Street W. 36th Street N. Tatnall Street N. Monroe Street E. 29th Street N. Pine Street Carter Street Danby Street Jessup Street E. 29th Street W. 21st Street Baynard Boulevard Broom Street W. 27th Street N. Van Buren Street Broom Street N. Tatnall Street W. 28th Street W. 26th Street N. Madison Street Concord Avenue W. 28th Street Pine Street E. 29th Street E. 23rd Street Kalmar Place Pine Street E. 23rd Street E. 23rd Street Jessup Street Thatcher Street Thatcher Street E. 26th Street Northeast Boulevard Clifford Brown Walk E. 12th Street E. 16th Street C Street S. Heald Street Buttonwood Street E. 7th Street Church Street N. Market Street E. 8th Street King Street Bennett Street S. Monroe Street Maryland Avenue W. 2nd Street Wollaston Street W. 9th Street W. 6th Street Windsor Street W. 8th Street W. 6th Street Jefferson Street W. 7th Street W. 6th Street S. DuPont Street Oak Street Maple Street Beech Street S. Lincoln Street S. DuPont Street Anchorage Street Beech Street 5th Avenue Chestnut Street S. Monroe Street S. Adams Street N. Rodney Street W. 4th Street Lancaster Avenue W. 8th Street Union Street N. Rodney Street Woodland Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue W. 6th Street W. 4th Street Bridge Approach Greenhill Avenue Brinckle Avenue Pole 4400 on 16th Street W. 19th Street W. 19th Street Red Oak Road Riverview Avenue N. Bancroft Parkway Kentmere Parkway W. 17th Street MacDonough Road Woodland Avenue Greenhill Avenue Blackshire Road Crawford Circle Nottingham Road Riverview Avenue W. 19th Street Pennsylvania Avenue Partial width/full length Shallcross Avenue Union Street Grant Avenue N. Tatnall Street W. 18th Street W. 21st Street N. Monroe Street W. 34th Street W. 37th Street E. 35th Street N. Pine Street N. Market Street W. 23rd Street N. Madison Street Bayard Boulevard W. 29th Street N. Market Street N. Monroe Street Rockford Park Red Oak Road Park Drive Delaware Avenue Greenhill Avenue Riverview Avenue Gilles Street S. Bancroft Parkway Sycamore Street S. Bancroft Parkway (West) Lancaster Avenue Harrington Street Geddes Street Barry Street S. Bancroft Parkway S. Bancroft Parkway (East) Barry Street Lancaster Avenue

For more information about this news release, contact:

John Rago

Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Communications

Office of Mayor Michael S. Purzycki

Mobile: (302) 420-7928

Email: jrago@WilmingtonDE.gov