Four-way stop coming to Cave Neck Road at Hudson Road
Drivers on Cave Neck Road will soon have to stop when they get to Hudson Road. The Delaware Department of Transportation announced Sept. 2 that it will implement an all-way stop for the dangerous intersection that’s seen a high number of crashes in recent years.
Work to alter the intersection will occur from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 14. Flaggers will be on-site to direct motorists at the intersection while the work is ongoing.
DelDOT plans to install oversized stop signs on eastbound and westbound Cave Neck Road at Hudson Road. The stop signs will include red solar flashing beacons. Stop and stop ahead pavement markings will be added at all four approaches to the Cave Neck Road/Hudson Road intersection.
In anticipation of the changes, portable message boards were deployed on Cave Neck Road last week to advise the public of the upcoming schedule. Once the conversion occurs, the message boards will be used for a few days to reinforce the new traffic pattern.
No changes are planned for the intersection with Sweetbriar Road at this time. However, DelDOT has observations/data collection scheduled the same week as the all-way stop control conversion at the intersection, which includes the Sweetbriar Road approach.
Between Jan. 1, 2019 and Dec. 31, 2021, a total of 45 crashes were reported at the adjacent Cave Neck Road intersections with Hudson Road and Sweetbriar Road. Of those, 34 crashes were reported at Hudson Road, while 11 crashes were reported at Sweetbriar Road. Of the 34 crashes at Hudson Road, 13 resulted in injuries. There were no fatalities reported during the three-year study period.
In 2021, Sussex County Council agreed to front $5 million to DelDOT to speed up improvements at the Cave Neck Road-Sweetbriar Road-Hudson Road intersection. Because of the funding, construction of the project is scheduled for fall 2024 into 2025; construction will occur when design for the project was originally scheduled to begin under the previous capital transportation program.
In April 2022, DelDOT presented its preferred alternative, which is to add a roundabout to the intersection.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information.
