Sussex County seeks suggestions for state transportation projects
Anyone who has a suggestion to improve state roads now has a chance to recommend changes.
Sussex County is asking the public to suggest road projects as it prepares to make a list of recommendations for inclusion in the Delaware Department of Transportation’s 2027-32 Capital Transportation Program.
Residents can submit ideas until 4 p.m., Monday, March 24, at sussexcountyde.gov/capital-transportation-program-request-ideas.
Every two years, DelDOT develops a six-year Capital Transportation Program that includes construction and maintenance projects. This program is developed with the Wilmington Area Planning Council, Dover/Kent County Metropolitan Planning Organization, Salisbury-Wicomico Metropolitan Planning Organization and Sussex County.
The ideas for projects – such as infrastructure and safety improvements and road efficiencies – come from residents, legislators, regional planning organizations, counties or state transportation staff, according to DelDOT.
The agency checks if there are any planned projects that would address the issues, and prioritizes projects. Studies are often conducted as the state develops possible options and recommendations.
Chip Guy, communications officer for Sussex County government, said in an email March 10 that the county simply forwards the suggestions to DelDOT for consideration.
DelDOT will draft its Capital Transportation Program based on recommendations submitted by Sussex and the other organizations. Public meetings on the proposal will be held before the state Council on Transportation reviews it and votes on the plan. A bond bill will be drafted and approval sought.
No schedule was provided on the DelDOT website for the approval process.
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
