Massive projects to improve highway infrastructure in the Lewes and Georgetown areas were unveiled recently at public workshops. These projects show, if nothing else, that state transportation officials are finally taking steps to improve the gateway to Delaware's Cape Region.
In addition to an overpass to ease beachbound traffic in Georgetown, DelDOT plans to realign Old Orchard Road outside Lewes; eliminate several Route 1 crossovers near Nassau bridge and add service roads; and reconfigure roads near our region's most notorious intersection, Malfunction Junction, adjacent to Five Points, which is also under study.
Taken together, these improvements offer more pathways into the Cape Region and could avert congestion that plagues the entire Route 1 beach corridor. Beyond that, these projects clearly show a new effort by transportation officials to address the Cape Region's serious and growing traffic problems. Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan may have opened the door when she personally appeared before a reluctant county council, but she has followed through and proposed significant improvements.
It was time for change, and it appears change is now on the agenda. We may be in for several years of road construction, but improved intersections should make travel safer and faster for everyone.
DelDOT officials say they will use input from the workshops to refine these plans, and we urge those who use these intersections to review the plans and send comments to DelDOT at dotpr@state.de.us. The first deadline for comment, including changes at Malfuction Junction, is March 16.
Still, state and county officials must not stop with new roads and interchanges.
The Cape Region is the heart of Delaware's tourism industry, attracting millions of visitors annually. It is also home to a rapidly growing 55-plus population. We welcome better roads, but these populations would be well served by an agile, efficient public transportation network.
Going forward, DelDOT must also invest in a technology-driven public transportation system that could offer convenient door-to-door service that would reduce the need for yet more highway infrastructure.
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Editorials are considered and written by Cape Gazette Editorial Board members, including Publisher Chris Rausch, Editor Jen Ellingsworth, News Editor Nick Roth and reporters Ron MacArthur and Chris Flood.
