DAGSBORO – State and local officials met with residents in a second meeting last week to further discuss safety, congestion and development concerns along the Route 54 corridor.
Route 54, a two-lane highway that runs from Selbyville to Route 1 in Fenwick Island, has long been a growing source of frustration and concern among its nearby residents.
Community members argue that increased traffic to and from the resort area, compounded by an increase in development and a lack of traffic lights, have made it difficult for them to exit their communities and travel to destinations along Route 54.
In recent months, residents who live in communities and homes along the corridor have taken their concerns to state representatives and transportation agency officials in an effort to have their calls for safety and a Route 54 improvement project answered.
In late September, for example, hundreds turned out to the Roxana Fire Department along Route 54 to voice their concerns and desires to Senator Gerald Hocker, State Rep. Ron Gray, and representatives from the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT).
In an effort to have residents’ concerns pertaining to county-approved development along Route 54 addressed, however, officials from Sussex County – Councilman Rob Arlett and County Administrator Todd Lawson – joined Hocker, Gray and DelDOT officials last Thursday in a second meeting at Indian River High School.
Lawson told residents in attendance commercial and heavy residential land-use projects contributing to traffic in the area have been in the planning pipeline for years. Zoning for controversial development projects such as the upcoming Royal Farms gas station and the Seashore Villas community, for example, were approved by the county in 2014 and 2006 respectively.
“If you get a commercial zoning approved on a piece of property there’s over 100 uses you can do on that piece of property …,” he said. “Everyone is upset right now because you are seeing the construction and earth moving and you know Royal Farms is coming, that was approved more than 10 years ago.”
Many in the audience, however, said they were somewhat blindsided by recent development projects and the traffic issues it would cause.
Bill Hutchison, a resident of the nearby Swann Keys community, asked if local elected officials would advocate for requiring developers to provide for adequate infrastructure. His question was met with applause from the audience.
“You say it can be modulated, but are you willing to do that?” he said.
Arlett said he would be willing to advocate for a change, explained that Delaware was different than other states in managing roads.
“It’s almost designed for failure because the county controls land use, but we are not in charge of the roads,” he said.
Others in the audience questioned why DelDOT officials didn’t consider future development during recent improvement projects along Route 54. One attendee in particular suggested a four-lane highway be established along Route 54.
Rob McCleary, chief engineer at DelDOT, said widening Route 54 would be expensive and impractical.
“It is not affordable for the public to cover that cost, that’s the bottom line,” he said.
McCleary told the crowd DelDOT staff ensures commercial and residential developers meet capacity and safety standards to gain access to the roadway, yet said the department would be willing to perform “operational improvements” such as syncing traffic signals, improving turn lanes and the like.
“If you want to see a project get done there is a pathway for that and it starts basically through the county or local MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organizations),” he said. “They have a transportation aspirations list, like their wish list for projects, and that rolls to DelDOT and then we prioritize them through a process.”
While residents left with little to no solutions to the problems at hand, state and county officials encouraged those in attendance to continue the conversation.
“I want to thank you guys for being here,” Arlett said. “It is important and let’s continue to work together.”
