Recommended improvements to key east-west routes in Sussex County were reviewed at an Oct. 29 meeting, with a public workshop coming in December. 

Andrew Bing, who moderated the Delaware Department of Transportation’s Coastal Corridors Study Stakeholders meeting Oct. 29, asked those in attendance to encourage people to attend the December workshop. The time and location were not released.

DelDOT’s 2024 Coastal Corridors report recommended projects and policies to improve traffic flow and safety. It was based on traffic analyses, a roadway sufficiency assessment, development trends and feedback from the Coastal Corridors Committee and the public.

“We're focused on today and trying to improve things today,” Bing said, adding the proposals would affect local roadways in the future.

The participants were asked what their priorities were for improvements.

For example, overcapacity, crashes and high motor vehicle speeds/volumes along main streets were the three results that concerned them the most. They also listed safety, multimodal improvements and alleviating traffic congestion as three key issues.

The report put recommendations in three categories: those along or near Route 16 between Route 113 and Route 1; those along or near Route 9 between Route 113 and Route 1; and policy suggestions that are not location-specific.

The studies looked at major east-west arteries, including routes 9, 16 and 24 in northern Sussex County.

The traffic analysis identified current and anticipated traffic congestion, and the need for public transportation and multimodal transportation.

The study also found possible solutions that can be handled quickly in the state’s annual construction plans and through projects that require additional funding or should be handled by local governments. 

Some issues were slated for additional study. Ideas included roundabouts, paths for bicyclists and pedestrians, and widening roads and intersections.

It also included three initiatives that require further study and coordination:

• Re-envisioning Route 16 in Milton. The town wants to develop a mixed-use main street that serves all modes of traffic and supports local businesses. A further corridor study is required to study the idea and whether an alternative route will be needed for through traffic

• Accommodating traffic growth on Route 9. The intersection of routes 9 and 5 is the most congested signalized intersection in the planning area and is forecast to be at or near capacity by 2050 without improvements. The Route 9 corridor east of Route 5 has high traffic throughout the year, and 2050 traffic projections support widening the road to four lanes

• Exploring policies to achieve better transportation road network interconnectivity. There are significant safety, operational and economic benefits to better multimodal interconnectivity between land development. 

The corridors study began in 2019 with routes 16 and 9, east of Route 113, when there was discussion of expanding the Bay Bridge. At the time, Delaware officials were concerned about the effect on Sussex County roads, said Leah Kacanda, a senior project planner for consultant Whitman, Requardt and Associates. It was later expanded to include other routes, Kacanda said.

The next stakeholder meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m., Wednesady, Nov. 12.