East-west road improvements top Sussex list

State transportation officials plan to spend $7 million in fiscal 2018 and a total of $272 million over the next six years on planned road projects to improve Sussex County's east-west road system. The totals includes state and federal dollars.

The funding total was provided by Delaware Department of Transportation officials to be included in Sussex County's annual capital transportation program request for 2019-2024, said Chip Guy, the county's director of communications, during a Sept. 19 report to county council.

Improvements are scheduled along Route 24 and Route 9, and construction is on the books for the Millsboro bypass and an overpass at the Route 1-Route 19 intersection, Guy said.

The county's report states: “County council urges the state to consider adequate funding for needed improvements to the county's transportation system. Sussex County urges DelDOT to take the necessary steps now to make essential projects, particularly intersection and travel-lane improvements to the network of east-west arteries, among the highest priorities.”

Other priorities in the county's requests to DelDOT include further upgrades at Delaware Coastal Airport, realignment of Park Avenue around the airport – which is a also a truck route and bypass around Georgetown – continued work on bike and pedestrian trails, pedestrian safety improvements, Route 1 improvements and north-south highway improvements.

Councilman Rob Arlett, R-Frankford, asked Guy if a record is kept on what projects are completed by DelDOT in Sussex County.

Guy said there isn't a record kept, but when projects are completed they are removed from the county's annual requests. He said, for example, improvements to Route 26 have been completed and are no longer included in the report.

“I'd love to see that. It's really important to keep an eye on what DelDOT is doing and not doing. If we are not keeping track, how do we know?” he asked.

Guy said he would talk to DelDOT officials in an effort to maintain an updated status report.

Included in the county's report to DelDOT are:

Scenic byways: Implementation of the Kings Highway/Gills Neck Road scenic byway master plan; a roundabout at the Dartmouth Drive/Kings Highway intersection; traffic calming measures on Gills Neck Road; master plan for New Road.

Route 1: Installation of a low-level median barrier to limit pedestrian crossings; improvements at the Five Points intersection; additional pedestrian crosswalks; and more commercial property interconnections.

Delaware Coastal Airport: In 2013, the airport's main runway was expanded to 5,500 feet, but county officials want to go another 500 feet to 6,000 feet. Officials say the local cost – county and state funds – is estimated at $12 million, which is split between realignment of Park Avenue and the runway extension. County officials urge state officials to continue support for the project; $5 million has been set aside in the Bond Bill.

Trails and paths: The 2018-23 capital transportation program has $800,000 in state funds and the possibility of $3.2 million in federal funding. Sussex officials urge DelDOT to use some of the funds for new phases of the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail.

Route 24 corridor: In addition to planned improvements, county officials are requesting four lanes from the Love Creek bridge to Long Neck Road. DelDOT's plans call for improvements from Love Creek bridge east to Route 1. In addition, county officials are requesting a center-turn lane west from the Love Creek bridge to Route 113.

East-west routes: The county supports a comprehensive review to identify and prioritize key intersections for improvement along Route 9/404/8 and consider the use of center- and right-turn lanes at choke points to improve traffic flow.

Sussex County officials support DelDOT's 10-year plan to pave with hot mix all current tar-and-chip local roads that have average daily traffic of 500 vehicles or more. Among the requests in the Cape Region are shoulders and a bike path along New Road; improvements to the bridge over Canary Creek on New Road; a turnlane at Clay Road onto Kings Highway; dualization of Kings Highway from Dartmouth Drive to Freeman Highway; sidewalks from Cape Henlopen High School to Lewes city limits; and shoulders and a bike path along Wolfe Neck Road.

For the report, go to: https://sussexcountyde.gov/sites/default/files/packets/Public.Packet.091917_0.pdf