State road projects progress as summer heats up
As the summer beach season gets into full swing – along with the accompanying traffic – drivers will have to share the road with construction crews at scattered locations in Sussex County.
The state has several road projects of varying sizes in progress or beginning later in the year.
C.R. McLeod, director of community relations for the Delaware Department of Transportation, said his department does its best to avoid hindering vehicular traffic, but some conflicts are inevitable.
“The department tries to minimize work that interferes with traffic during the summer months, [but] it’s not always possible to complete work such as paving and concrete work pre-Memorial Day and post-Labor Day when temperatures are still warm enough for that work to take place,” McLeod wrote in a June 25 email. “When possible, work is also scheduled for overnight hours when traffic volumes are lower.”
Among the projects this season are:
Millsboro bypass
Construction of a northern bypass between Route 24 and Route 113 that began in 2023 is nearing completion, with the target date for opening to traffic projected for late August and final completion of the work by the end of the year.
“That’s a project that we are really excited to deliver,” said DelDOT Secretary Shanté A. Hastings at a Sussex County Council meeting March 4. “As a person who travels that stretch and gets stuck in the chaos of it during the peak hours, we believe it is going to provide some great relief, especially as you look at a lot of the development that has occurred west of [Route] 113. Folks are going to use that in a variety of ways.”
DelDOT is planning a 5K run/walk for charity in advance of the opening, but the date is not yet available.
Routes 1 and 16 grade separation
The project to construct two Route 1 bridges over Route 16 and related ramps will eliminate a traffic signal at the intersection and free the flow of traffic on both roads.
Work began June 20, 2022. The southbound span was completed in April, with work now underway for the northbound bridge. Construction is expected to be completed in the winter of 2026.
Minos Conaway Road
Utility relocation work has begun for a project that will eliminate eight dangerous crossings on Route 1. Construction is expected to start in August and be completed in the summer of 2028.
Three roundabouts will be constructed, two of them on service roads flanking the highway, connected by a new road that will give traffic a route under Route 1 at the Nassau Bridge. A third roundabout at Minos Conaway Road will access the service road on the west side of Route 1.
Route 24
A series of seven major improvement projects is continuing.
The state completed dualization of a section of the highway from Route 1 to the middle and elementary schools. The next phase is in design. Improvements to several intersections have been completed or are planned.
Plantation Road
Work is winding down on a project to widen and improve the road from Robinsonville Road to Route 9, between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. Construction began in late 2022 to improve the road from just west of Ritter Lake Drive through a new roundabout at Five Points and nearby road improvements.
Construction was completed June 1, and final inspection and punch list items are taking place.
The project was a priority for Sussex County due to development in the area in recent years. The purpose is to preserve mobility for local residents and businesses while providing roadway improvements to reduce congestion, improve safety and accommodate anticipated growth in local and seasonal traffic.
Old Orchard/Wescoats intersection
Utility work has begun and is expected to be completed this summer on a project to relocate the southeast end of Old Orchard Road to form a four-way intersection with Wescoats Road at Savannah Road.
The road project is out to bid, with a contract award scheduled for early July. Work is expected to begin in the fall and be completed in 2028.
The intersection of Wescoats and Clay roads will also be improved with the addition of a roundabout. Pedestrian and bicycle facilities will be incorporated throughout the project.
In addition to road projects, DelDOT recently finished the mile-long Munchy Branch Road path in Rehoboth Beach, and work on the final six-mile section of the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail is expected to begin by the end of the summer and be completed in late 2026.
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
