I am writing to express my growing concern regarding the Atlantic Fields project, which plans to bring a Costco, Whole Foods and Target, amongst other retailers, to our community. While economic development is important, this project threatens to exacerbate traffic congestion on Route 24, which is already a busy and often congested road.
The addition of these large retail stores will undoubtedly attract thousands of shoppers daily, flooding Route 24 with increased vehicles. This will lead to longer delays, increased air pollution and heightened safety risks for pedestrians and local residents. Our community’s roads are simply not equipped to handle such a surge in traffic, and the consequences will be felt by everyone, especially during peak hours.
Currently, before the construction of an Atlantic Fields-sized project, navigating on Route 24 in peak summer hours is a great frustration to local citizens. The project is estimated by the developer to generate 26,271 daily vehicle trips. These numbers indicate a total expected year-round daily traffic increase of 141%. A substantial portion of Atlantic Fields customers will also choose to use local connector roads such as Mulberry Knoll Road. This will make it particularly difficult for residents living along this road, as well as Delaware State Police Troop 7 located on Mulberry Knoll. We could see up to 2,600 to 5,200 additional vehicles per day on this connector road alone. Is this traffic nightmare really what residents want?
Moreover, increased traffic congestion can negatively impact local businesses and residents by making travel more difficult and discouraging visitors from exploring our community. It also raises concerns about emergency vehicle access and overall safety.
I urge local officials and planners to reconsider the scope of this project or implement comprehensive traffic management strategies before proceeding. We must prioritize the safety, quality of life and well-being of our community over short-term economic gains.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
