REHOBOTH BEACH, DE – Repaving work along Rehoboth Avenue, initially scheduled to resume Sunday night, has been delayed due to rainy weather. The work had been halted in December because of early cold temperatures.
"They were supposed to start on Sunday night but that did not happen because of the rain. They're actually not going to work either tonight because of the rain," Henry Matlosz, Rehoboth Beach's Public Works Director, said.
Matlosz said work will resume when weather permits, and it will take place from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.
Matlosz told WBOC the repaving is part of a long-awaited project, and it has been over 20 years since the road was last repaved.
"This is the road that all the visitors come down when they're here, so it’s very important that it looks good," Matlosz said.
Linda DiDomenicis, who owns Sea Finds, said she hopes the project wraps up on time
"It seems like it's never-ending," DiDomenicis said. "I feel like they always do it when a holiday is coming up, and here we are, torn up again. I just hope all of the oil and machinery is out of here by the time the season starts."
DiDomenicis said, if city leaders are looking into repaving projects, she hopes side streets are also included.
"We've been fighting for Wilmington Avenue for over 20 years and still nothing has been done with it," she said. "We need new sidewalks, we need new paving."
Matlosz said city leaders plan to conduct a paving evaluation across Rehoboth Beach. The evaluation will find areas to target for future paving projects.
Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) officials confirmed that the work will resume as soon as weather conditions improve. According to those leaders, the repaving project is still expected to be completed by the target date of May 16th.