Drivers crossing the South Walnut Street Bridge in Wilmington will face lane restrictions after a recent DelDOT inspection found worsening concrete deterioration on parts of the aging bridge. The bridge, which carries about 26,000 vehicles each day between downtown Wilmington and I-495, has been reduced to one lane in each direction. DelDOT also lowered the maximum vehicle weight allowed on the bridge from 29 tons to 20 tons. During a maintenance inspection last week, crews found chunks of concrete underneath some of the bridge’s piers. DelDOT said these columns have been repaired before, but much of the concrete that recently fell away was from those earlier patches, after years of water, road salt and rust continued to weaken the structure. DelDOT Chief of Bridges and Structures Kevin Lindell said the bridge remains safe for travel. “Safety is our number one thing. If we felt it was not safe, we would have closed it,” Lindell said. The restrictions are expected to remain in place while crews install temporary shoring towers beneath the bridge. The supports will help carry the load off the deteriorating columns. DelDOT hopes to complete that work within two months. “Right now our current timeline for that, we’re shooting for two months max,” Lindell said. The temporary repairs are not a permanent solution. DelDOT said the 88-year-old bridge will ultimately need to be replaced. The agency recently secured $7 million for the bridge’s design, but construction is still about eight years away because a major nearby sewer project must be completed first. Lindell said this past winter’s weather may have contributed to the deterioration. “We had a lot of snow this past winter, a lot of freeze-thaw cycles. I’m not saying that’s the sole reason, but it didn’t help,” Lindell said. The new traffic pattern is already affecting drivers who use the bridge every day. “We drive this road, every day, like multiple times a day,” driver Gordon Lindamood told NBC10. Pedro Cortez, who also drives the route regularly, expects delays: “Gonna stop a lot of traffic from that, it’s gonna be crazy.” DelDOT said crews are working to complete the temporary repairs as quickly as possible. “We have our full team on this, we’re working as fast as we possibly can. I understand it’s a inconvenience, but we’re going to get it open as soon as we can,” Lindell said. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less