Delaware officials break ground on new Park Avenue project
A $25 million project to reorient and expand the Park Avenue bypass that connects Route 9 to Route 113 in Georgetown officially broke ground May 31.
The project will be built in two phases. Phase 1 will realign Park Avenue to avoid residential areas and install a roundabout at the intersection of Park, South Bedford Street and Arrow Safety Road. It is expected to take two years to complete. Phase 2 will cover the remainder of Park Avenue up to the intersection with Route 9. A bonus is that it will allow for another 500 feet of runway to be added to Delaware Coastal Airport.
The intention of the project is to eliminate a jughandle near the airport that forces large tractor-trailers to make sharp turns, causing a potential safety hazard.
Delaware Department of Transportation Secretary Nicole Majeski said the project has been a long time coming. The first public workshop was held in 2016, and Sussex County had been accumulating the land that will be used in Phase 1 for nearly 20 years.
“There has been a lot of work to get us to this point,” Majeski said. “What is great about this project is that it is not only a safety project – it is going to help with congestion management; it is going to help us improve freight movement; it is going to spur economic development; it is going to cover a lot of bases.”
Majeski said 80% of the project is funded with federal monies, with the rest from state and county coffers.
Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, said, “This was a real team effort. This project has been the apple of a lot of people’s eyes for a long time. Big trucks making 90-degree turns on Park Avenue aren't safe. The investments, most of which are from federal funding, to realign Truck Route 9 and Park Avenue will not only enhance safety for cars and trucks, but will also facilitate economic development projects like extending the runway at Delaware Coastal Airport.”
Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, said, “Many hands make light work, and many hands have been involved in this project. Everyone realizes this is a problem that has to be addressed.”
Pettyjohn and Carper both said the airport is a huge economic driver for Sussex County, and expanding the runway will enable the airport to improve safety, and accept more types and sizes of aircraft.
Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson said county council spent two decades acquiring the property along Park Avenue to Arrow Safety Road, then conveying it to DelDOT to jump-start the road improvement project.
Council President Mike Vincent said, “Previous councils realized the airport needed to be expanded, and they started buying property to do that. It’s going to work out well, I think. We’re going to do Park Avenue.”
