Route 24 can’t handle traffic from Belle Mead, Atlantic Fields
The following letter was sent to DelDOT Secretary Shanté Hastings with a copy provided to the Cape Gazette for publication.
In my July letter, I pointed out that the Belle Mead traffic impact study was inadequate inasmuch as it failed to consider the impact of the proposed Atlantic Fields application for a rezoning from AR-1 to C-4 for the purpose of constructing a major shopping district. Atlantic Fields, if approved, will be in close proximity to Belle Mead and projected to add over 13,000 vehicles per day to an already overburdened Route 24. In my opinion, the failure to include Atlantic Fields in the TIS renders it fatally flawed and unsuitable for its intended purpose. I urged you to take appropriate and immediate action prior to the public hearing before Sussex County Council, then scheduled for July 22. This public hearing has since been rescheduled for Sept. 16. To date, I am unaware of any corrective action undertaken by DelDOT in this matter. I again urge you to take immediate corrective action before the public hearing.
Since my July letter, Atlantic Fields has been on a fast track toward review. A public hearing before the planning & zoning commission is scheduled for Sept. 17, with a public hearing before county council scheduled for Oct. 21. The TIS for Atlantic Fields, which does include Belle Mead, now projects the project will add over 15,000 vehicle trips per day onto Route 24, with 2,148 more vehicle trips per day for Mulberry Knoll Road. This new information is further support for my opinion that the Belle Mead TIS is inadequate.
Based on the Highway Capacity Manual, acceptable road capacity limits for a two-lane signalized arterial highway, like Route 24, with a level of service of D at speeds of 45 mph, should not exceed an average annual daily traffic range of 11,900 to 15,900 vehicles per day. The 2022 DelDOT Traffic Summary reported in the TIS lists the AADT for Route 24 as being 18,591 vehicle trips per day and 23,713 trips per day in the summer.
Clearly, there can be no reasonable dispute that traffic on Route 24 is beyond acceptable capacity limits. The addition of 6,800 vehicle trips expected from Belle Mead and over 15,000 vehicle trips expected from Atlantic Fields will result in traffic congestion that will be unbearable and beyond any hope for real improvement for years to come. The failure of the TIS to consider Atlantic Fields renders this TIS unusable, as it will preclude council from making informed decisions.
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