DelDOT plans to realign Old Orchard Road
The Department of Transportation is planning major changes for Savannah Road at Wescoats Corner outside Lewes.
It begins with the realignment of Old Orchard Road so it lines up with the existing traffic signal and continues with a new roundabout for traffic using Wescoats, Clay and Marsh roads.
Heavy traffic along Savannah Road at Wescoats Corner has made it nearly impossible to exit Old Orchard Road toward Lewes. With no traffic light to manage traffic, motorists often wait for a break in traffic or a polite driver to wave them on.
By moving Old Orchard Road to the east, transportation officials will align it directly with Wescoats Road and create a safer, more efficient intersection, said Project Manager John Caruano.
DelDOT officials unveiled its proposed $4 million plan at a Feb. 21 public workshop at Cape Henlopen High School. To realign the road, DelDOT would utilize 3.6 acres of open land along the Villages of Five Points to build a new road. It would connect to a strip of state-owned land between Dollar General and a medical office complex, directly in line with the existing Savannah Road/Wescoats Road intersection.
The 3.6-acre parcel is owned by the Villages of Five Points, but there is a clause in the deed that dedicates the land to the state if it is needed for realigning Old Orchard Road, Caruano said.
The existing Old Orchard Road would continue down to the entrances of the Roadsters/Dollar General Shopping Center and the Orthopaedic Associates of Southern Delaware complex, but the existing T-intersection with Savannah Road would be eliminated. According to DelDOT, 24 crashes have occurred at the intersection since 2007.
The project also proposes significant changes to Wescoats Road and Clay Road, where the existing intersection would be removed. Instead, traffic would filter from a slightly realigned Clay Road onto Marsh Road to access Wescoats Road. DelDOT proposes a roundabout at the intersection of Wescoats Road and the new Clay/Marsh Road.
Caruano said a four-way stop would likely result in backups.
“A roundabout seems like the best fit there,” he said.
A portion of the existing Clay Road would remain to provide access to businesses on the road, but DelDOT would remove the awkward intersection with Wescoats Road and Savannah Road, where 37 crashes have occurred since 2007. During the same period, the intersection of Wescoats Road and Marsh Road saw 40 crashes.
The proposal also features bike and pedestrian improvements throughout the corridor.
Design for the project is expected to continue until 2020. Caruano said the state owns most of the land needed for the project, so land acquisition will be minimal. He expects the project to begin construction in 2020 and last about a year.
