DelDOT cuts ribbon on Route 1 sidewalks

State and local officials gathered in Rehoboth Beach June 13 to cut the ribbon on sidewalk improvements on Route 1.

“We have too many people die as pedestrians on our roadways,” Gov. Jack Markell said. “And these kinds of improvements are important. This is an investment in our future. This is an investment in safety.”

Markell said Delaware has averaged 29 pedestrian deaths per year. In the Route 1 corridor, he said, there have been three deaths and 10 injuries.

“This is not some theoretical problem. This is our responsibility,” Markell said.

The pedestrian improvement project features 5-foot sidewalks from the Nassau Bridge to the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal, about 4.7 miles of sidewalk, Delaware Department of Transportation engineer Sarah Criswell said. In addition, sidewalks were widened and crosswalks were installed. Criswell said the project features six signalized crossings along Route 1 to help people get across the highway, street lights and 19 improved or installed bus stops.

Many of the improvements were suggested by the Route 1 Pedestrian Safety Task Force. Chaired by Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, the task force searched for ways to make travelling safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. The task force came in the wake of the death of Nadiia Misa, 19, a Ukrainian student who died when she was struck on Route 1 while riding her bicycle in June 2015.

“We had too many kids that were getting hurt. We sent a couple kids home over the years in a box. Their parents entrusted them to us, and we let them down,” Schwartzkopf said. “I’m hoping that we’ve turned a corner.”