Painting planned for Walt Whitman Bridge

CAMDEN – The Delaware River Port Authority is preparing to spend more than $60 million to spruce up the Walt Whitman Bridge.

At a meeting Wednesday, DRPA commissioners also are expected to vote on a plan to resume commuter discounts for E-ZPass patrons who use the authority’s bridges.

The board also will act on the appointment of two new executives — Inspector General David Gentile, a former FBI agent from Laurel Springs, and General Counsel Raymond J. Santarelli, a suburban Philadelphia attorney.

The Walt Whitman project, expected to take almost three years, will upgrade the span’s appearance and protect its longevity, John Hanson, the DRPA’s chief executive officer, said Monday.

“This really is the installation of a protective coating system,” he said of the planned paint job. “It’s something that seals and protects the structure, so it’s very important.”

He said motorists could expect to see lane closings and other traffic impacts from the project.

“There are going to be people out there working from time to time,” he said. “But what (drivers) are really going to see is a brighter bridge aesthetically. And they’ll be secure in knowing we’re taking good care of it.”

The authority’s commissioners are expected to vote on a $56.5 million contract to paint the span between Gloucester City and Philadelphia.

The work, expected to take almost three years, would be performed by New York-based general contractor Corcon. The firm currently is in the first phase of a similar paint job at the DRPA’s Commodore Barry Bridge between Logan and Chester, Pennsylvania.

The project also calls for $6.2 million in improvements to the Walt Whitman Bridge’s toll plaza, roadways and ramps. That work would go to South State Inc. of Bridgeton, if the board approves.

Commissioners also are to vote on two contracts, worth $500,000 each, to have contractors on hand for emergency repairs during Pope Francis’ Sept. 25-27 visit to Philadelphia.

“The visit is expected to bring in millions of visitors to the city,” notes the agenda. It says the contractors would provide adequate personnel in case a “large-scale emergency” affected operations of the DRPA’s four bridges across the Delaware River or the PATCO Hi-Speedline between South Jersey and Philadelphia.

Commissioners are expected to approve contracts with AP Construction of Blackwood and Railroad Construction Co. Inc. of Paulsboro.

The board also is expected to endorse a finance committee recommendation to restore the $1 per round-trip discount that was eliminated in 2011. That would apply to commuters paying $5 per round trip on DRPA bridges at least 18 days a month.

DRPA Vice Chairman Jeffrey Nash has said the discount could be implemented Nov. 1 or Dec. 1.

Hanson said the personnel appointments will fill “important positions that contribute greatly to the transparency of the organization.”

The $135,000-a-year inspector general’s position was created in January 2012 to identify waste, abuse and corruption at the bi-state authority. The post’s first occupant, Thomas Raftery III, left in October 2014, saying DRPA officials had sought to curb his independence.

DRPA officials rejected Raftery’s claim.

“We took our time to try to get it right,” Hanson said of replacing Raftery. “I think David Gentile, this is the work he wants to do. He’s got a great background.”

Gentile, who could not be reached for comment, was a 24-year FBI agent who led probes into racketeering, corruption and white collar crime. He most recently operated a Blackwood-based firm, Protocol Security Partners.

Santarelli, who would earn $165,000 a year as general counsel, works in the Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, office of Elliott Greenleaf, a firm with 55 attorneys in offices in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

He would succeed Danielle McNichol, now with the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

Source: Courier Post Online