DelDOT responds to Savannah Road island complaint

The Department of Transportation says an island in the center of Savannah Road at the entrance to Lewes is safe despite complaints from a nearby business owner to the contrary. 

CR McLeod, DelDOT director of community relations, said a DelDOT engineer and Mayor Ted Becker met with Auto Gallery owner Bryan Hecksher in the fall about the island. 

“They explained that the island acts as a traffic-calming feature by visually narrowing the roadway and slowing down traffic approaching the pedestrian crossing,” said McLeod. It also acts as a safe harbor for any pedestrians who misjudge traffic when crossing.”

The Lewes to Georgetown Rail with Trail ends at the eastbound side of the Savannah Road crossing. The trail will eventually continue on the other side; however, there is no existing trail on the other side now. 

Hecksher aired his frustrations with the island earlier this spring after a motorist in a pickup truck mowed over two signs within the island. 

“This is a tragedy just waiting to happen,” he said after the incident. “Had a biker, or worse, a family of bikers, been in the center island, I fear they would not be alive today.” 

The islands are designed to be fully mountable by a vehicle that runs over them, McLeod said. The signage is a standard breakaway design used statewide. 

“There is not a safety concern from an engineering perspective,” he said.

McLeod said islands are often damaged during snowstorms. 

“The plow drivers cannot see the island beneath the snow, and this is unfortunately a common issue,” he said.