Sussex 2030 forms traffic study group

A few years ago a very small group of residents in the Angola area banded together to fight a proposed 7-Eleven on the corner of Angola Road and Route 24.  From that group a larger one grew and CU 2176  was born, CU 2176 being the conditional-use permit number for the 7-Eleven.  Over the course of many months the by now very large group attended town halls, wrote letters to just about everyone, including this paper, conducted a protest in Georgetown, attended council meetings, amassed hundreds of names on a petition, you name it.  The group established a presence but also presented sound arguments, founded in facts that had been well researched.  Much to everyone’s surprise, the CU 2176 group was heard by Sussex County Council, and in part, we’d like to think, played a role in getting the 7-Eleven denied.  But what was to come next?

In an effort to effect change in Sussex County, and with an eye to the future, a new group, Sussex 2030, was formed.  In part its mission is to support planned growth and direct attention to the need for timelier infrastructure.  For months now that group has been meeting via Zoom and has directed attention to, among other issues, overdevelopment and increased traffic along the Route 24 corridor.  Facts and figures once again are the hallmark of this effort, no feelings allowed!  There are over 6,000 homes under construction or already approved along Route 24 and side roads leading to Route 24; they will generate tens of thousands of additional trips daily along the already congested artery.  

There are spot check improvements planned all the way from Route 1 to Millsboro, such as what is being done at Hollymount and Route 24.  DelDOT has started a widening project on Route 24 to Mulberry Knoll, but did you know that there are no plans to widen the Love Creek bridge for at least the next 20-25 years?  Will these spot checks be sufficient to help move traffic along Route 24?  And how can you continue to develop land when you can’t get past waterways such as Love Creek and Burton’s Pond?  And how can our more narrow roads, like Angola, Camp Arrowhead, Robinsonville and Conleys Chapel safely support the growing number of bikers we see every day?

So what can we do?  What we do best, mobilize!  A new subgroup within Sussex 2030 has been formed, the Route 24 Citizens Traffic Working Group. This new group looks to find solutions, not just add to the laundry list of well-known complaints.  To be effective we cannot work in a vacuum, so we hope to attract the support of our county council and administration, DelDOT, planning and zoning, and any elected official who wants to see Route 24 become a true major road within the DelDOT plan for Sussex County, and not just up to the Love Creek bridge. 

 So if you are tired of the congestion along Route 24, if you are worried that first responders may not get to you if needed, if the thought of flooding in your community keeps you up at night, or if you get angry seeing every tree taken down so more homes can be built, then please check out www.Sussex2030.com for more information.  There is an easy-to-use ‘Join Us/Comments’ page located within the site; if your interests lie in traffic concerns only, check the box that says ‘Traffic- MOU, TID, etc.’, it’s as easy as that.  You will learn what an MOU is, TID too, and you will be doing something to help improve our quality of life here in Sussex County.  I look forward to Zooming into the future with you.