Bridge-tunnel a recipe for gridlock

Sen. George Bunting is stepping down at the end of his term, but he’s certainly not going quietly. Bunting last week proposed legislation to direct state agencies to study the feasibility of a bridge-tunnel across the Delaware Bay.

He did not select a specific site for the new connector, instead suggesting the study should determine the best location to build a direct link from Sussex County to New Jersey.

Bunting says the project itself would put a lot of people to work, boosting the economy and capturing national attention.

His resolution proposing the feasibility study says a bridge-tunnel would relieve traffic in the Interstate 95 corridor and would save millions of dollars annually in fuel and other economic costs.

The vision of a beautiful new bridge tunnel spanning Delaware Bay is enticing, but what Bunting’s resolution doesn’t say is where all the cars will go once they arrive in our region. An influx of thousands of more vehicles from New York and New Jersey is not a plan for economic growth; it’s a recipe for gridlock in the Cape Region.

Instead of studying how to bring more cars to the Cape Region, state agencies should be planning new and better ways to get people to the beaches without vehicles.

One way to start could be to offer new, faster ferries for people and bikes only, using the existing ferry terminals, with vans or small buses available at both ends to take visitors directly to their destinations.

Rapid buses linking the region’s airports and bus and train stations with already proposed transportation hubs in Lewes and Rehoboth Beach could dramatically improve access to our region without increasing traffic.

Public bike stations to make bikes easily available and improved bike lanes on all roadways would all go a long ways toward improving access within our region without more cars.

A beautiful new bridge-tunnel is an exciting idea, but it’s one whose time has come and gone.

It’s time to focus instead on ways to improve access to our region for people who leave their cars at home.