Old Orchard-Wescoats realignment set to start in 2022
The area around Old Orchard Road, and the intersection of Savannah Road and Wescoats Road are due for a major makeover.
A Delaware Department of Transportation project includes the realignment of Old Orchard Road with Wescoats Road and the creation of a four-legged, signalized intersection with Savannah Road, with improvements to Old Orchard Road from the intersection to the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail crossing.
It also includes the addition of a roundabout at the Marsh Road-Wescoats Road intersection and realignment of the Clay Road-Marsh Road intersection.
The $15 million project – including $1.5 million for rights-of-way purchases – also will provide new sidewalks, bike paths and crosswalks. The speed limit on the new Old Orchard Road will be 35 mph.
During a Dec. 10 virtual workshop, DelDOT project manager Edwin Robles said construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2022 and be completed in summer 2025. Rights-of-way acquisition is scheduled to begin in spring 2021 and the design work will be completed by spring 2022.
The first work on the project will be utility relocation, which will take about one year.
A new Old Orchard and intersection
A section of Old Orchard Road at the current intersection with Savannah Road will be abandoned, with a new road section completed starting at Parker Run in the Villages of Five Points and going to the new intersection.
Several new entrances will be constructed for businesses in the project area with most as right-in, right-out access only.
A 5-foot berm with trees is proposed along a section of the new Old Orchard Road to separate the road from houses in the Villages of Five Points, said Valerie Kawolski, a senior engineer with consultant Whitman, Requardt and Associates. To mitigate drainage issues, she said, ditches and piping will be installed to keep stormwater runoff away from houses.
Sidewalks to connect to the current Villages of Five Points trail and bike paths are included in the project. Sidewalks cannot be constructed on the east side of Old Orchard Road because of wetlands issues, said Bryan Behrens, DelDOT group manager for Sussex County projects.
The new Savannah Road intersection will provide crosswalks with pedestrian refuge islands, and right-turn, left-turn and through lanes.
Although a large parcel of vacant land was set aside in the late 1990s by the Villages of Five Points developer for a new Old Orchard Road alignment, the agreement has expired, Behrens said. “The normal right-of-way process will be needed now to acquire the property,” he said. The vacant parcel for the new alignment includes land along Old Orchard Road and land adjacent to Dollar General on Savannah Road.
Marsh-Wescoats roundabout
Another major component of the project is a new roundabout at the intersection of Marsh Road and Wescoats Road, which will include new entrances to businesses in that area. Phase 6 of the project includes construction of the western half of the roundabout and Phase 7 includes construction of the eastern side. DelDOT officials said business access will be maintained throughout construction.
New trail connection
Included in the nine phases of the project is an upgrade and widening of the existing Villages of Five Points trail along the west side of Old Orchard Road from Savannah Road to connect to the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail. The trail crossing at Old Orchard Road will be realigned and moved slightly northward, farther away from the Atlantic Concrete entrance.
Using an easement, DelDOT will take over that section of trail in the community.
Robles said pedestrian-activated flashing lights will be installed at the trail crossing and a new crossing at the Parker Run intersection, which connects sections of the Village of Five Points.
“This will make the crossing more visible and safer for users,” Kawolski said.
Send comments to: DelDOT Community Relations, PO Box 778, Dover, DE 19903.
See maps of the project, phasing and detours at bit.ly/3muof7Q
