The recent traffic count information presented by DelDOT to the Sussex County Council is misleading and counterproductive. DelDOT's traffic count shows only a 3 percent increase in traffic on Route 9, Georgetown from 2004-06 to 2016. It also only shows a 9 percent traffic increase on Route 1 near Rehoboth during the same timeframe.
As noted by Sussex County Council members, this information does not reflect our reality. Per the U.S. Census Bureau, the county population increased 25.9 percent between 2000-10. The county's population is estimated to increase by 16 percent from 2010-20, per the Delaware Population Consortium. That growth is probably greater on the eastern side of the county.
Our state administration, legislators, and DelDOT need to understand that Sussex needs major road improvements now. When we sit and wait in daily winter traffic congestion on routes 1, 24, and 9, we wonder what it will be like during future summer seasons. A major east-west road improvement project may be part of the answer.
It takes years to plan, design, and build major road projects. DelDOT needs to portray more accurate traffic count information that reflects the reality that we see today, and recommend solutions to at least alleviate growing traffic problems in the near and long-term future.
The Population Consortium projects the Sussex population conservatively to increase 15 percent from 2020-45. As more people retire and move to our area, we need to act quickly to do what can be done to improve our transportation system in Sussex. We realize that there is not one answer to this problem, but the longer we wait, the greater traffic issues we will face in the future. Plus, transportation problems may very well negatively affect our economy in the future.
David B. Baker
Milton
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