Southbound Lanes of I-495 Bridge in Delaware Reopen

Southbound I-495 about to reopen #deldot #delawareonline #netDE pic.twitter.com/t4SCHDvhTg — Suchat Pederson (@SuchatPederson) July 31, 2014

The southbound lanes of the I-495 Christina River Bridge in Wilmington, Delaware, have reopened a month ahead of schedule, state transportation officials said.

The northbound lanes of I-495 are expected to re-open by Labor Day, Delaware Secretary of Transportation Shailen Bhatt announced July 31.

The bridge, a busy traffic artery for commuter and commercial trucks that bypasses Wilmington, was closed June 2 after officials learned that the bridge was leaning. In late June, Federal Highway Administration officials confirmed their original suspicions that a gigantic dirt pile adjacent to the bridge had caused four of the bridge’s 37 concrete pile caps to crack.

"Reopening the southbound lanes of I-495 in less than 60 days is only possible because of the tremendous teamwork we have had from day one,” Bhatt said.  “DelDOT staff and our engineering and construction partners have literally worked around the clock to make this day happen.”

Southbound lanes of I-495 bridge in Wilmington officially reopens http://t.co/kUS8gtHQzC pic.twitter.com/gZ7D2qArWP — Action News on 6abc (@6abc) July 31, 2014