As construction on the roundabout near the Five Points intersection progresses, Delaware Department of Transportation has plans to open the Plantation Road to Beaver Dam Road connection to the roundabout by the end of March. The closure of the connection to Route 9 will remain until May. It’s been a year since the project started, which resulted in closures and detours for the past six months.

The roundabout is part of Phase 1 of major road improvements along Plantation Road to the Robinsonville Road intersection.

When complete, the 90-degree turn along Plantation Road near Lowe’s will become more gradual as it nears the new roundabout. The extended Route 9 access road will have two dedicated left-turn lanes onto westbound Route 9, with a dedicated merge lane for right turns onto eastbound Route 9 toward Five Points.

Lowe’s has installed a new entrance off the southbound lanes of Route 1 adjacent to the DelDOT Transit Center.

Salt Marsh Boulevard, the access to the Henlopen Landing community, will no longer intersect Beaver Dam Road at Church Street. Instead, it will have its own leg off the roundabout. Salt Marsh Boulevard remains closed during the first phase of construction. The Church Street connection to Beaver Dam Road will also be eliminated. 

Going southbound out of the roundabout, Plantation Road will be dualized past Shady Road, where one of the two lanes will become a dedicated right-turn lane for traffic using Robinsonville Road.

Route 9 will also see improvements. Vehicles traveling westbound from Route 1 will have two dedicated turn lanes into the roundabout off Route 9. The goal is to store more vehicles to alleviate backups into the Five Points intersection, which often block southbound Route 1 traffic, according to DelDOT officials.

The project included the demolition of the Bests’ Ace building along Route 1.

The new road through the former Ace Hardware property will have a dedicated right-turn lane, a through lane to the new roundabout and a hybrid lane for left turns and through traffic.

Work will continue on Plantation Road after the roundabout and new road through the former Ace property open. The entire project is expected to be complete by spring 2025.

Crack sealing causes delays

DelDOT crews will continue a crack-sealing project on Route 1 between Five Points and Route 16 over the next few weeks. Motorists along Route 1 were greeted with delays throughout the week beginning March 11, as crews worked on both the northbound and southbound lanes, forcing traffic down to one lane. DelDOT Director of Community Relations Charles “C.R.” McLeod said the project is expected to continue for another eight working days, as of the end of the day March 14. It could be extended due to weather.