Milton council gets update on transportation improvement district
Work continues between Milton officials and the Delaware Department of Transportation on a transportation improvement district for the town.
DelDOT planner Sarah Coakley told town council Dec. 1 that the department is in the process of refining concept plans and cost estimates for projects in the areas around Milton. Two notable projects include roundabouts at the intersections of Harbeson Road and Shingle Point Road, and at Gravel Hill Road and Sand Hill Road. Coakley said the concept plans are being refined to include bike paths and right-of-way lines.
She said additional projects to improve transportation around Milton are being coordinated as part of DelDOT’s Coastal Corridors Study, which seeks ways to improve traffic flow on Route 16. Coakley said the vision for Route 16 through Milton is to make it more like a Main Street and slow traffic through that area.
A transportation improvement district helps provide state funding for transportation projects within participating municipalities. Milton’s TID has not yet been finalized, but the town has agreed to participate, which would give the town a seat at the table regarding development within the present and future land-use boundaries. Coakley said there are 14 TIDs in Delaware, with nine currently active and five in development.
Coakley said a TID is more preferable for the municipality as opposed to a traffic-impact study because developers have to participate in it.
“Once the TID is operational and the final agreement is signed between DelDOT and local governments, if they are consistent with the land-use requirements for the TID, [developers] are required to participate in it. They do not have the ability to opt out. One of the benefits of the TID is that everyone is required to participate, even the smaller developments,” she said.
Coakley said DelDOT has tried to be more proactive in making safety and traffic improvements in rural areas such as Milton. She said the TID is a way for land use and transportation improvements to be tied together.
Ryan Mavity covers Milton and the court system. He is married to Rachel Swick Mavity and has two kids, Alex and Jane. Ryan started with the Cape Gazette all the way back in February 2007, previously covering the City of Rehoboth Beach. A native of Easton, Md. and graduate of Towson University, Ryan enjoys watching the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Capitals and Baltimore Orioles in his spare time.
