DelDOT seeks comments on Cave Neck Road project

State transportation officials are asking the public to comment on four concepts proposed to improve one of the most dangerous intersections in the Cape Region.

During a Nov. 16 virtual workshop, Delaware Department of Transportation staff and consultants from Greenman-Pedersen Inc. presented options to improve the Cave Neck Road-Sweetbriar Road-Hudson Road intersections east of Milton.

“The safety concerns at the intersections are very well known to DelDOT,” said Mark Whiteside, a DelDOT project manager, adding safety issues will get worse as traffic increases with more development in the area.

There have been 65 vehicle crashes at the intersections between 2017 and 2021, with the majority as T-bone crashes. “These crashes have potential for serious injuries,” Whiteside said.

GPI consultant Julia Steponanko said safety is the main consideration in design of the project. “There will be great level of service with all alternatives and it should be able to handle traffic through 2050,” she said.

Bryan Behrens, DelDOT group engineer, said levels of service A and B would be created, which is considered free-flowing traffic.

First of its kind in Sussex

The project would not be possible at this time if not for Sussex County's Funding Accelerating Safety in Transportation (FAST) Track program. County officials have established a program to fund high-priority road improvements by up-fronting the project cost – up to $5 million – to DelDOT. Reimbursement will be made when the project is completed. This project is the first under the program.

Whiteside said design and construction will occur four years earlier than previously scheduled in the DelDOT capital transportation program. Even so, construction is not expected to begin for three more years.

He presented the following timeline: Selection of a preferred alternative, early 2022; rights-of-way acquisitions, fall 2022; final design, early 2024; utility-pole relocation, spring 2024; construction, fall 2024.

The four concepts

Each of the concepts will impact several private properties, resulting in either total property acquisitions or some acquisitions with relocations.

Whiteside said each of the concepts will provide shared-use paths for bicyclists and pedestrians. Each concept is designed to accommodate large trucks, which make up 10 percent of the traffic at the intersections. Lighting and drainage improvements are included in all concepts.

Concept 1, with a roundabout at Sweetbriar Road and another at Hudson Road spaced about 400 feet apart, is the least expensive as far as rights-of-way purchase and construction costs are concerned, Whiteside said.

Concept 2 is similar to Concept 1, but the roundabouts are spaced 780 feet apart and the Sweetbriar Road intersection would be realigned, resulting in a cul-de-sac at the end of the existing road for access to four homes. Whiteside said this concept involves the fewest relocations, with three properties impacted.

Concept 3 is one large roundabout 180 feet in diameter between the two intersections, with five properties impacted.

Concept 4 is a traffic signal with turn and through lanes at each intersection. Whitehouse said this concept would be the most expensive, with impacts to the most properties – eight. Sweetbriar Road would also be realigned, with a service road provided to properties cut off by the realignment.

Questions about acquisitions

Several members of the public asked questions about proposed property acquisitions. Terri Lawson of DelDOT's real estate department said DelDOT must follow federal rules for just compensation when properties are taken.

She said acquisitions over $10,000 will include a third-party appraisal. For relocations, she said, property owners are paid for their property, replacement of their home and moving costs.

Design team members would meet with property owners prior to the start of the real estate process, she said.

Behrens said property owners in the project area that may be impacted are encouraged to provide comments on the concepts. “There will be significant property impacts. Unfortunately, they are needed to fix the intersection,” he said.

“We always work with property owners to minimize impacts as much as possible,” said GPI consultant George Spadafino.

Other questions during workshop

When asked about possible temporary improvements between now and construction, Behrens said staff is considering tree clearing for better sight lines as well as lighting along the roadway.

Several questions were asked about bicycling through the intersections. Behrens said shared-use paths would connect to shoulders to allow for safe cycling. He said cyclists can choose to remain on the roadway through the intersections or use the shared-use path, which requires use of crosswalks.

The concepts provide access to an existing pathway along the frontage of the Compass Point subdivision, which is under construction on Sweetbriar Road.

To submit a comment through Friday, Dec. 17, go to s.surveyplanet.com/o9pn46qb.

For details on concepts, go to deldot.gov/projects/index.shtml?dc=details&projectNumber=T202104304