Milton gathers bids on road projects
Milton officials accepted bids on four separate intersection and road projects aimed at improving bicycle and pedestrian safety around town.
Three of the projects are improvements to intersections, installing crosswalks and other traffic-calming measures. All the projects are being funded by Sussex County realty transfer tax grants. These grants are excess transfer tax funds the county gave to municipalities for certain infrastructure improvement projects. The town’s portion is $310,000.
The largest of the projects is adding pedestrian sidewalks and bumpouts at the intersection of Chestnut/Wharton/Atlantic streets. The work includes new pavement, grading, curbs, signs and crosswalk/road striping.
Improvements to this intersection have been in the works for years and were recently a source of controversy among town council for their scale. The original plans included sidewalk improvements and converting the intersection to an all-way stop. Currently, traffic on Chestnut Street does not have to stop through the intersection. The all-way stop conversion was recommended by the town’s streets and sidewalks committee in order to improve vehicle and pedestrian safety. After much discussion and voting, the all-way stop portion of the project was removed.
The second project is to add a new crosswalk and stop bars at the intersection of Federal/Mulberry/Wharton streets. The work includes new pavement, curbs and road striping.
This project had been recommended by the Delaware Department of Transportation as part of a traffic-impact study for the Granary at Draper Farm development, which is expected to add 1,350 homes over 20 years.
Like at Chestnut/Wharton/Atlantic, this project was to have included an all-way stop component that was later taken out after council could not agree.
The final two projects are smaller in scale and have been less controversial.
The first is to add new crosswalks and traffic-calming bumpouts at the intersection of Union and Broad streets. This improvement would provide an additional crosswalk along Union Street before the main crosswalk near the library and a way to slow cars as the move through what has become a busy pedestrian area.
Finally, the town has put out a request for bids to repave Hazzard Street and Tobin Drive, two smaller, alley-type connector streets near Grace Church on Union Street.
For all four projects, bids were accepted until June 14.
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.
