One of the most important highways in Sussex County is only a few steps away from becoming the nightmare we all fear. For months, the Sussex Preservation Coalition has been warning that proposed commercial and residential developments proposed on the Route 9 corridor would create a traffic nightmare. At the July 17 public hearing held by the planning & zoning commission, that nightmare came a step closer to reality.
During a presentation to the commission, DelDOT representatives explained why the proposed mixed-use development at Northstar could go forward. Predicted to add more than 13,000 vehicle trips daily, Northstar would nearly double the traffic already using Route 9.
Not to worry. As DelDOT explained, this has been anticipated for more than five years as part of the Henlopen Traffic Improvement District’s model, and the traffic totals expected from Northstar are within the levels that can be accommodated after road improvements have been made to Route 9.
DelDOT’s reassurance needs additional proof. As anyone who has driven Route 9 or other roads in the Henlopen TID can attest, traffic within the district has not been improving. Development consistently outpaces road capacity. The result is greater congestion, rising frustration, widespread stress, longer delays for first responders in reaching fires or medical emergencies, and a general erosion of quality of life.
Congestion is now the Sussex way of life, not fun and relaxation. What can be done?
First, Sussex, in this case the planning & zoning commission, should insist that Northstar developers undertake a traffic impact study. A TIS provides highly detailed information that helps everyone understand how additional traffic will impact the area. Without the TIS, we are all relying on the model DelDOT uses, one whose data may not be up to date and whose assumptions are questionable. The county should not sign the three-way TID Infrastructure Recoupment Agreement that waives the need for a TIS. For such a large development in such a sensitive location, the public should insist that the best, most up-to-date data and most-convincing analysis inform the decision.
Second, the planning & zoning commission should insist that road improvements happen before construction. Improve and then construct, not the reverse. Phasing commercial and residential construction would keep the scariest parts of the nightmare from happening.
Third, confirm that Northstar’s impact is evaluated in the context of other planned and proposed developments located outside the TID area. In particular, Cool Spring Crossing looms just two miles west and, if approved, will have its own impact on area roads. A traffic plan for Route 9 is needed. Cool Spring lies outside the traffic planning area.
Fourth, recognize that, in some ways, Beaver Dam Road poses an even greater nightmare. Its improvements are not planned anytime soon, yet it poses severe dangers to bicyclists, first responders and everyday motorists encountering left-turning vehicles in front of them.
P&Z commissioners cannot simply throw their hands up in the air and ask, “What can we do?” They need to solve this problem before the nightmare becomes real.
Lewes
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