Five Points group narrows recommendations

The Five Points Working Group narrowed a long list of recommendations Oct. 8, selecting 24 ideas that will be given top priority in the final report to the Department of Transportation. 

All 78 ideas that had received a positive recommendation from the group will be included in the report, but the two dozen selected will be specifically noted as most important. 

“I understand this was not easy,” said Andrew Bing of consulting firm Kramer & Associates. “But think about it the other way, if [the group] had handed the department and county 78 recommendations, it wouldn’t have been easy for them either. This way [the group and public] at least have some ability to influence, to suggest, to say … these are the things they may want to move to the top of the pile.”

To prioritize the list, working group members were split into three groups. Each group selected the recommendations most important to them. If a recommendation was selected by two of the three groups, it made the cut. Twelve of 24 were chosen by all three groups, including a determining whether a light is necessary at Minos Conaway Road and Route 9, improvements to the Canary Creek bridge on New Road, filling in sidewalk gaps along Savannah Road and creating a grid system west of Plantation Road, adding more roads to connect Route 9 and Route 24. A study into the feasibility of an overpass at Five Points was also unanimously chosen as a high priority. 

The chosen recommendations differed slightly from public feedback gathered at an Aug. 27 workshop, when the 308 people who attended were asked to place colored stickers on ideas they supported, and stars on recommendations they deemed most important.

The public heavily supported the evaluation of short-term safety and operational improvements at Route 9, Plantation Road and Beaver Dam Road while longer-term improvements are under development, receiving the second-most gold stars. Members of the public also favored improved traffic signal phasing, timing and coordination using real-time monitoring and control technologies. Neither of those ideas was selected by the majority of the working group.

Also not making the cut for the working group was the idea of pedestrian bridges over Route 1 in specific locations. 

An overpass at Five Points received the most gold stars at the workshop, while interconnection between future developments was also popular. 

Seven of the 78 recommendations were not considered in the prioritization process because DelDOT determined they were already included in the Capital Transportation Program. Those included the Route 24 bypass, improvements at Nassau bridge and widening lanes on Plantation Road, among others. 

With recommendations complete, the working group is wrapping up the 10-month first phase of the project. They will meet again Monday, Oct. 29, when the public will learn how the recommendations will be used in the future planning process. The public will also hear from DelDOT Secretary Jennifer Cohan and Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson. The group will also be presented with a draft of the final report to DelDOT. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. at Beacon Middle School. 

Highest priority ideas

• Conduct a study at Route 9 and Minos Conaway Road to determine if a traffic signal is warranted*
• Study the feasibility of improving Minos Conaway Road with appropriate lane and shoulder widths, turn lanes, curvature, etc.*
• Improve Canary Creek bridge on New Road to reduce flooding*
• Develop concepts and estimates for filling all sidewalk gaps along Savannah Road between Lewes and Five Points*
• Develop design guidance to separate pedestrians and bicyclists from highway traffic using aesthetic treatments*
• Develop a plan for grid road patterns where land is available, working with property owners and developers, including a series of roads that connect Route 9, Route 23 and Route 24 between Plantation Road and Dairy Farm Road*
• Study the feasibility of a grade separation at Five Points*
• Evaluate the potential transportation benefits, costs and impacts of a new road parallel to Plantation Road connecting Mulberry Knoll Road to Route 9*
• Require new developments to plan for interconnections to any future development areas and monitor to ensure implementation*
• Study the feasibility of converting the Arby’s driveway between Route 1 and Savannah Road into a public accessible roadway*
• Study the feasibility of a parking management system to alert travelers when parking lots at major destinations are full*
• Consider modifications to land development requirements and/or the Development Coordination Manual that require additional buffers/setbacks for all new developments for future road expansion*
• Conduct a corridor study on Route 9 to determine the feasibility of widening to four lanes
• Initiate a capital project to improve the intersection of Old Landing and Warrington roads
• Improve the intersection of Cave Neck, Sweetbriar and Hudson roads 
• Study the feasibility of lengthening left- and right-turn lanes throughout the study area
• Study the feasibility of restriping two-lane sections of Savannah Road with two-way left-turn lane
• Study the feasibility of potential connections for walking and bicycling between existing neighborhoods, along streets, and to trails 
• Study the feasibility of a hop-on, hop-off van or jitney service loop for Lewes similar to free service in Cape May
• Develop concepts and estimates for filling all sidewalk gaps along New Road and Old Orchard Road
• Study the feasibility and anticipated effectiveness of modifying signage, starting in Milford, to encourage through drivers to use Route 113, Route 5, Route 23, etc. 
• Incorporate more walkable, bikeable, mixed-use town centers into the comprehensive plan
• Continue transportation improvement district studies both east and west of Route 1
• Improve advance acquisition process to allow DelDOT to more quickly acquire land needed for transportation improvements and acquire available land within the Five Points Study Area
• - Unanimous choices

Already planned

• Review the need for grade separating or restricting crossings between Frederica and Lewes before eliminating signals in this area 
• Evaluate Tulip Drive connection to Route 1 as part of the Minos Conaway Road grade separation project
• Study the feasibility of increasing the proposed Route 24 bypass of Millsboro from one lane in each direction to two lanes in each direction 
• Study options for signage to direct appropriate traffic under the Nassau bridge 
• Evaluate one-way service roads as part of the Minos Conaway Road grade-separation project
• Study the feasibility of extending the eastbound widening of Route 24 to Love Creek
• Study the feasibility of widening or adding through lanes on Plantation Road from Route 24 to Cedar Grove Road and Postal Lane