DelDOT lays out Minos Conaway Road construction phasing

The long-anticipated Minos Conaway Road grade separated intersection project along Route 1 near Nassau is set to begin in early 2025.

The 10-phase project is estimated to take three years to complete. When done, traffic movement in the area just north of Five Points will be dramatically different, as median crossovers will be eliminated, a new road under the Nassau Bridge will be added, three roundabouts will go online and service roads will be constructed on both sides of the bridge.

Bryan Behrens, the Delaware Department of Transportation’s group engineer of Project Development South, said right-of-way acquisition has been underway for quite some time.

“We are through that and the design is complete,” he said. “We’re ready to begin construction.”

Utility relocation has been happening since the summer, he said. DelDOT is preparing to send the project out to bid, with an anticipated spring or early summer start for construction.

The project will begin with realignment of New Road. There will not be road closures because the new section will be built off to the side near the intersection with Nassau Road. The first phase will also see the addition of a U-turn movement at the Five Points intersection.

The second phase will be split up into three parts. The first part includes the construction of a new service road from southbound Route 1 to Janice Road and a new road under the Nassau Bridge to connect at the New Road/Nassau Road intersection. The Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail will be moved to the other side of bridge supports to allow for the new road. When complete, there will be a new roundabout at near the Lewes Senior Activity Center and the first half of a roundabout at New Road/Nassau Road. Most of the work will be off alignment, meaning there will be little to no road closures.

The next part of Phase 2 will see the first major detour due to a new roundabout being constructed at Minos Conaway Road just west of Route 1. During construction, Route 1 drivers will have to go Five Points, then travel west on Route 9 to get to Minos Conaway Road. Drivers already on Minos Conaway Road who intend to drive northbound on Route 1 will have to travel to Route 9 before heading north at Five Points.

The third part of the second phase includes construction of an off ramp from southbound Route 1 to the new roundabout at Minos Conaway Road.

The third phase will wrap up most of the major work for the project. It includes the construction of the second half of the roundabout at New Road/Nassau Road, a realignment of Nassau Road and a tie-in to the New Road realignment. The intersection of New Road/Nassau Road will be closed during this phase, meaning drivers will have to use Old Orchard Road and Savannah Road as a detour.

Once complete, the majority of the project will be open for use, including the new road under the Nassau Bridge. DelDOT anticipates this will happen about halfway through the three-year project.

Work in the fourth and fifth phases includes closing Route 1 median crossovers and widening of the median south of the Nassau Bridge.

The sixth phase will involve work south of the Nassau Bridge, including a shoulder/auxiliary lane near St. Jude church and an off ramp to Nassau Road. Tulip Drive, where the blinking lights are now, will be closed. Drivers will use the Tulip Drive entrance farther south toward Five Points to access the church or the housing developments.

When the project is complete, Tulip Drive near St. Jude will not have direct access to Route 1. Drivers may either use the southernmost Tulip Drive access or use Nassau Road to either go north or south on Route 1.

The seventh phase will see the addition of a third southbound lane from Janice Road to the recently built connection to the roundabout at the intersection of Route 9/Beaver Dam Road/Plantation Road. It’s designed to give drivers entering Route 1 from Janice Road a free movement without stopping.

Following more median widening in the eight phase, crews will move to the north side of the Nassau Bridge to add a road parallel to Route 1 for local businesses. It will merge with Route 1 north of Minos Conaway Road.

The final phase involves project paving and striping.

Shared-use paths will be added throughout the project on both sides of Route 1, all tying into the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail. 

The goal of the project is to maintain capacity of Route 1 corridor and improve safety at the unsignalized intersection of Route 1 and Minos Conaway Road as well as mobility and access for local traffic.

“We’re all proud and excited [for this project],” said Behrens. “It’s a game changer for the area.”

The majority of the work will take place during the daytime, but night work is possible should the need arise during construction.

DelDOT’s original estimate for the project was $50 million, but that number could change once bids are received. The project will be an 80% federally funded project.