At a recent meeting, Milford City Council tabled a draft agreement between the city and Del-DOT regarding a long-term maintenance plan for a shared-use path on US 113. The project includes the construction of a shared-use path along the east side of Route 113 from Milford Plaza Shopping Center to Buccaneer Boulevard as well as along Buccaneer Boulevard to North Walnut Street.
“On Section Three, Maintenance, the second paragraph, says the city’s maintenance obligation includes all aspects of the stormwater, weather-related construction, including the cleaning and so forth and so on,” Councilman Jason James said. “So, once this project is completed, all these things turn over to the city because in paragraph one of Section Three, the maintenance of this project will be by the state.”
City Manager Chris Coleman stated that this was a change DelOT asked the city to make at their last meeting. He respectfully asked council to table the matter until the city can get an answer from DelDOT.
“So, you’re saying under construction, the state agrees to construct and make other improvements set forth under the contract documents, which will be on file,” Mayor Todd Culotta said. “So, the state constructs it, and then paragraph three says that the state will maintain it as well.”
James pointed out that the paragraph contradicted itself as the first sentence stated the state would maintain the shared-use path, but the final paragraph stated the city would maintain it.
“And I could be reading it wrong, it says all other maintenance,” James said. “But I think it needs to be clarified.”
Coleman stated that if City Planner Rob Pierce had been in attendance he likely could have answered the question. Coleman was aware there had been some slight changes so he told council he would speak to Pierce and communicate the question to DelDOT to get a clarification.
“My concern with the resolution here is the cost factor,” Councilman Danny Perez said. “How much would this cost if we took it over? Do we need to hire additional public works personnel, or can the current crew handle it themselves?”
Coleman explained that the maintenance of this shared-use path would be similar to the maintenance of other paths.
