DelDOT unveils work zone safety campaign
Officials from the Delaware Department of Transportation gathered April 17 at the construction site of the new grade-separated intersection at Route 1 and Route 16 to kick off a campaign aimed at raising awareness for drivers in work zones.
DelDOT Secretary Nicole Majeski said the week of April 17 is National Workplace Safety Awareness Week, encouraging motorists to be mindful of construction workers and toll collectors on the roads. Majeski said these workers are vulnerable to accidents due to being in areas where cars are traveling at high rates of speed. She said motorists should be aware of these workers and slow down around them.
In 2020, more than 44,000 people nationwide were injured in work-zone crashes, with 857 deaths. In Delaware, since 2020, there have been 15 such fatalities, with way too many close calls, Majeski said.
“We have more work zones than ever before happening in our state,” Majeski said. “Now, more than ever, we need drivers to be attentive and careful.”
One of those work zones is the intersection project at Route 1 and Route 16 outside Milton, a $40 million grade-separated intersection aimed at improving safety and reducing congestion in the area. The project will remove the existing traffic signal and add access roads on each side of Route 1 with an overpass. Work on the project is expected to last until late 2025.
Sarah Powell, engineer for DelDOT on the project, said this project is very similar to the overpass and grade-separated intersection on Route 1 in Little Heaven, about halfway between Milford and Dover. The first bit of the project will come online in late May, she said, as the northbound access road will be completed and used for northbound Route 1 traffic. Work on the southbound section will soon get underway. Existing Route 1 northbound will be used for southbound traffic during that time. Powell said the last step in the process will be to put in the bridges and the overpass.
At present, Delaware is on track to have more total traffic fatalities than last year, Majeski said.
“We can’t emphasize enough the need for the public to slow down, to drive attentively, to put their cellphones down,” she said. “Do not drive aggressively, and be mindful of everyone out on the roadway.”
