Take notice of DelDOT workshops

All residents and most visitors in Delaware's Cape Region know congestion along Route 1 between Five Points and Dewey Beach is a major problem. The scope was only made more palpable by statistics presented at a recent meeting of the Five Points Working Group.

Statistics show year-round traffic in the corridor is almost equal to the lowest traffic days in summer. We know we're a tourist destination, but those statistics demonstrate a year-round community.

More dramatically, data gathered by DelDOT consultants show more than 1,000 crashes in the corridor over the past five years. No wonder it feels like sirens and flashing lights are a constant in the flow of traffic.

And, while Five Points is the focus of the working group, problems there are often the result of issues farther downstream. One chart showed the corridor filled with bottlenecks, most particularly on summer Saturdays, when the level of service on Route 1 at the entrance to Rehoboth Beach earns an F rating, meaning "extremely over capacity/failing."

Though startling, these stats are not surprising. Short-term, mid-term and long-term solutions are being discussed. Many short-term solutions already have been implemented. Long-term solutions, including discussion of a new road diverting traffic from Route 1 north of Milton to the Route 24 area, are in the earliest stages of development.

Two suggested mid-term solutions, including an overpass at the Minos Conaway Road and Route 1 intersection, and improvements along Plantation Road, will be presented by DelDOT in a public workshop from 4 to 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 15, in the cafeteria at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes. Then, on Wednesday, Feb. 21, a workshop from 4 to 7 p.m. at the high school will focus on the proposed realignment of Old Orchard Road at Wescoats Corner.

It's hard to argue with DelDOT's stated purpose for the workshops: "To preserve mobility for local residents and businesses while providing roadway improvements that would reduce congestion, improve safety, and accommodate growth in local and seasonal traffic."

That's a tall order, and it needs as much public participation as possible if we're to have any success.