Presently, the planned traffic improvements for the Lewes-Rehoboth area seem to be focused mostly on supporting increased traffic through the peripheral areas such as the Route 16 grade separation and the overpass at Nassau, diverting attention away from areas which are experiencing the most traffic backups now.
Because the few main roads like Route 1 and the western end of Savannah Road contain long traffic light backups, vehicles are already diverting onto the few alternate through roads such as Plantation Road, Clay Road, Old Orchard Road and New Road. These areas, already burdened by new large developments, should not have to take on through traffic because of problems elsewhere.
Regarding the Nassau interchange, DelDOT had not performed any studies that have taken into consideration peak- time volumes, future travel levels and the influence that nearby failing intersections would pose for the area. Route 9’s eastbound backups from Belltown are so long that they reach Nassau Commons Boulevard on normal days and beyond the Vineyards at peak times. On Route 1 southbound, traffic backups from Five Points on most Fridays reach beyond Red Mill Pond.
With nearly all the region’s visitor traffic coming in from southbound Route 1, in addition to the rapid growth in Overbrook, Milton and Milford, there is widespread agreement that New Road is too narrow to safely or equitably serve as Lewes’ primary gateway, as there would be severe impacts to accessibility, safety and quality of life for the area.
Any changes in Nassau should happen alongside improvements to the south at Five Points and beyond. Focus should also include plans to change the traffic movements through Belltown and Wescoats which are Lewes congestion points. A new grade- separated diverging diamond interchange at Five Points with direct connections to Plantation Road and Route 1 South should drastically improve traffic flows in the area, as it would eliminate the Belltown Road light, keep traffic flowing on Route 1, and allow for turning movements in all directions. This would better move motorists into Lewes rather than going via Nassau.
There is probably enough unused space in the area to prevent or minimize encroachments to adjacent businesses including Ace Hardware. Although not definitively known, such a plan might negate the need for the Wescoats/Route 1 light as outbound traffic from the Villages of Five Points could access Route 1 south via Route 9.
Additionally, Route 9 and Savannah Road at least up to Wescoats Road has room to be widened to four lanes. The Five Points Working Group has supported the idea of grade separation for Five Points (Idea 66) and there should be discussion of more ideas to fix the traffic flow for this area.
To lessen traffic light delays for outbound Plantation Road traffic destined for Georgetown, Beaver Dam Road, Fisher Road and Kendale Road could receive intersection upgrades with traffic lights or all-way stop signs, which would improve crossover movements and lessen speeding as has worked in other rural areas of Sussex County.
With lots of growth planned for the Kings Highway area, the replacement of the existing Route 1/Dartmouth intersection with a continuous flow intersection could also be cost effective and helpful in directing inbound traffic over to the rapidly growing developments along Kings Highway and Gills Neck Road, which would reduce congestion and intersection problems along Clay Road. Additionally, a longer left-turning cycle off Postal Lane to Route 1 north would also help traffic from the Millsboro and Long Neck areas reach Kings Highway and Lewes more efficiently than going through Five Points.
The focus must be on improving the present bottleneck areas in order to ensure that peripheral ways such as New Road and Plantation Road are not overburdened with traffic or encroachments on private land for road expansion. The only current plan for Five Points right now is to construct a road through the Ace property and add a roundabout where Beaver Dam Road and Planation Road intersect.
This plan does not change the current movements for the area which are subjected to severe delays on weekdays year-round and aggravated even more in the summer. Perhaps the greatest concern is that a new road though the Ace property would encourage rather than discourage more non-local traffic onto Plantation Road, especially problematic since a new medical center, a new hotel and a new subdivision have been approved for the area.
Grade separation at Five Points and intersectional improvements to Route 1 are needed to ensure safe and balanced traffic distribution that is respectful of residential areas. Unlike other grade separations north of the beaches, which mainly serve small local communities, the interchange plan for Nassau is part of a much larger system of travel movements which unfortunately contain many failing intersections close by. Before changes to Nassau and Five Points, traffic movements should be properly forecast using the current normal and peak-time traffic delays as a basis for what may come in the future.
Overall, traffic improvements need to be viewed holistically to ensure that the areas that receive them retain their character, level of safety and quality of life.
Brian Aldred
Lewes
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