The intersection of Old Landing Road and Warrington Road has suffered from years of inattention by the Delaware Department of Transportation as well as Sussex County officials. As a former member of the now-defunct Citizens Coalition, I attended hearings in 1998 and 1999 on whether Old Landing Road, south of the intersection, should be repaved and improved with the addition of a shoulder. At that time, the intersection was rated as an F on a scale of A through F. It certainly hasn't become less F in the past 25 years. But despite the growth of traffic volume, I cannot recall a single traffic fatality in those years. In fact, any accident at the intersection is almost unheard of. The heaviest volume of traffic flows from west to east along Warrington Road, but the four-way stop provides a window for traffic flowing north and south for residents of Breezewood and the increasing number of motorists residing south of the intersection to gain access to major roads. It is a system that admittedly slows traffic on Warrington Road, but has functioned safely while providing an imperfect alternative to Route 1 congestion. It has been accepted by most frequent users except for impatient beachgoers in the summer.
The current alternatives, especially roundabouts, no matter of what size, will require drivers to yield to traffic on the roundabout, leaving drivers wishing to travel north/south on Old Landing Road as well as drivers wishing to exit Breezewood at a distinct disadvantage once heavy traffic volumes dominate the roundabout. The alternatives I have seen do not interrupt west-to-east traffic on Warrington Road for sufficient time to prevent traffic delays along Old Landing Road and Strawberry Way. This may lead to the conclusion that a traffic signal is the only alternative, but we need much more information on how such a signal would operate before we can judge its impact on Old Landing Road residents.
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