Sussex County Council received an update on various road projects in the county, including its first Funding Accelerating Safety in Transportation (FAST) Track project.

Delaware Department of Transportation Secretary Nicole Majeski and chief engineer Shante Hastings made a presentation during council’s Nov. 9 meeting.

District 3 Councilman Mark Schaeffer noted that DelDOT has $1.3 billion budgeted for road improvement projects in Sussex County by 2026. Those include three grade-separated interchanges along Route 1 and another nine along Route 113.

On the FAST Track

The county fronted $5 million to DelDOT to speed up improvements at the Cave Neck Road-Sweetbriar Road-Hudson Road intersection. Hastings said because of the funding, construction of the project scheduled for fall 2024 into 2025, will occur at the same time design of the project was originally scheduled to begin under the previous capital transportation program.

DelDOT has four options planned for road improvements and will hold a virtual workshop at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 16. Go to deldot.gov/projects/vw/T202104304/index.shtml to access the meeting.

The options include two with a pair of roundabouts, one with one roundabout and one with traffic signals.

Hastings provided information showing 65 crashes from 2017-21 at the location. She said problems there include poor sight distance, poor drainage, two intersections too close together and increasing traffic flow.

The timeline for the project is: Select preferred alternative and begin design work, winter 2021-22; begin rights-of-way acquisitions, fall 2022; utility relocations, spring 2024; construction, fall 2024.

The FAST program

The program will provide funds to jump-start road improvements that are planned, but not imminent on DelDOT's six-year capital projects list. Sussex County will provide funding to expedite the construction, and DelDOT will reimburse the county the total amount as the project is completed.

Among terms of the agreement, council will have final say on projects selected for the program, all projects must be in DelDOT's six-year capital transportation program, and DelDOT must begin design and engineering work within 60 days once council makes a decision.

Roadwork updates

Hastings provided updates on some of the high-profile projects either underway or planned in the near future.

Georgetown East Gateway intersection improvements, Route 9, Sand Hill Road and Airport Road, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.

Phase 1 of Park Avenue relocation, Georgetown, construction spring 2022 to end of 2023.

Route 24 widening and intersection improvements, Route 1 to Mulberry Knoll Road, north of Rehoboth Beach, final paving scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.

Route 1-Route 16 grade-separated interchange, near Milton, construction in 2022.

Route 1-Minos Conway Road interchange, Lewes, construction in 2023.

Route 1-Cave Neck Road grade-separated interchange, near Milton, construction in 2025.

Several projects are also planned over the next six years along the Route 113 corridor and in Millsboro, including grade-separated interchanges at nine intersections beginning at Route 404 and Route 9, the Millsboro north bypass and widening of Route 113 from Millsboro to north of Dagsboro.

Other road improvements are scheduled in the Lewes area, including on Plantation Road and at the Route 9-Beaver Dam Road intersection, realignment of Old Orchard Road and a new intersection at Savannah Road and Wescoats Road, a new Canary Creek bridge in Lewes, improvements to New Road, sidewalks on the east side of Savannah Road, and improvements at the Dartmouth Drive-Kings Highway intersection.

BEACH BUS – Hastings said ridership on the Beach Bus in the resort area was three times higher than in 2020 but not at 2019 levels. More than 150,000 trips were taken on the Beach Bus this past tourist season.

ONGOING INITIATIVES – Majeski said DelDOT has several ongoing initiatives in Sussex County, including $250 million in road work planned in the Henlopen Transportation Improvement District, a study of east-west traffic trends as part of the Coastal Corridors Study and continued work with the Five Points Working Group with action on 54 of the group's 75 recommendations.