Five Points group begins voting on ideas

Lewes-area residents packed into the cafeteria of Beacon Middle School July 23, many wearing shirts that read “Roads Divide Trails Unite.” They were on hand to oppose the idea of converting the decommissioned railroad from Cool Spring to Lewes into a road.

They crowded a meeting of the Five Points Working Group, which voted on 49 of 103 ideas to improve that notorious intersection outside Lewes. But the group did not have enough time to cast a vote on the proposal named the Hudson-Hughes Highway, after Christian Hudson and D.J. Hughes, who pitched the idea to use the railroad right of way from Cool Spring into Lewes for a new roadway along with the already-approved trail. Although there has been heavy opposition at recent meetings, Hughes presented working group members with a petition signed by more than 200 people in support of the idea to use the railroad right of way for a road. The petition states that signees support proper vetting of the idea and that any idea to relieve traffic at Five Points should be given the strongest consideration. 

The controversial idea, along with the remaining 54 ideas will be taken up at the Monday, July 30 meeting, set for 6 p.m., at Beacon Middle School.

Of the 49 ideas, the group voted in favor of 36, which will become recommendations to the Department of Transportation. 

Each member’s individual vote is displayed on a large screen for the public to see. Only seven ideas received unanimous approval.

Thirteen ideas were voted down, including identifying locations for more public restrooms, legalizing speed cameras, providing smaller buses during the peak season and an elevated express lane above Route 1.

There wasn’t much discussion among the 15 members of the group in attendance – Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf was the only member absent – but Hughes, a professional traffic engineer with firm Davis Bowen and Friedel, did make a point to criticize DelDOT’s plan to build an overpass at Route 1 and Route 16. He said DelDOT should not proceed with the project until overpasses at Cave Neck Road and Minos Conaway Road, north of the Nassau bridge, are built. Otherwise, he said, there will be no break in traffic for residents trying to enter or cross Route 1.  

While emcee Andrew Bing told the crowd the group would not make it to the Hudson-Hughes Highway topic, most stuck it out for the entire two-and-a-half hour meeting. Eleven people waited for their opportunity to speak, which was opened after the group voted on 36 items. 

Nearly all spoke against the proposed road on the old railroad right of way. 

“The proposed Hudson Highway will destroy the quality of life in the Nassau Grove community,” said Elizabeth Kerwin. “It will succeed in eradicating the animals and birds that thrive here. This highway will only cause more traffic congestion and pollution. As a result of this increased noise and air pollution, our health will be in jeopardy.”

James Lombardo, a Sussex County paramedic, said he responds to accidents involving bicyclists often, and many are on roads where bicyclists are not separated from traffic. He urged the group to vote against the roadway idea and stick with the rail-to-trail plan. 

“We moved here specifically for our children to have a safe place to ride their bikes and walk,” said the Reserves at Nassau resident. “If you don’t say no to the highway, you could be harming our family.” 

Lifelong Sussex County resident Eric Lockman took his 60 seconds at the microphone to chastise Sussex County and state officials. 

“The county and the state do not work together,” he said. “We have too many developments being put up right now. You have to buy people out to get roads put in here. All development needs to come to a stop in Sussex County. You’ve destroyed this area.”

Nassau Grove resident Bob Harris said the entire endeavor is fruitless. 

“This is a big waste of time,” he said. “You’re going to be doing this again in 10 years when the whole county is shopping centers, hotels and houses.”

The Five Points Working Group has been meeting monthly since December to identify the problems of the Five Points area. The group is in search of recommendations to improve traffic flow from Five Points to Rehoboth Beach, including the roads that feed into Route 1. 

There are several projects already in the works for the Five Points area that could improve transportation in the coming years. The most significant is likely the reconfiguring of the infamous Malfunction Junction intersection of Route 9, Plantation Road and Beaver Dam Road, which is only a few hundred feet west of Five Points. DelDOT is also in the planning process for a project to transform the Minos Conaway Road/Nassau bridge area, including the construction of a new roadway under the bridge to connect to New Road.

To learn more about the Five Points Working Group, including a list of all 103 ideas, go to www.deldot.gov/information/projects/FivePoints/index.shtml.

Yes

• Identify locations in study area where bike parking can be provided
• Require bike parking as a condition of certain new developments 
• Study the feasibility and anticipated effectiveness of modifying signage starting in Milford to encourage through drivers to use Route 113, Route 5, Route 23, etc. 
• Study the feasibility of potential connections for walking and bicycling between existing neighborhoods, along streets, and to trails 
• Study frequency and causes of emergency vehicle preemption and make recommendations to balance emergency vehicle access with traveler mobility 
• Develop plan for grid road patterns where land is available, working with property owners and developers, including a series of roads that connect Route 9, Route 23 and Route 24 between Plantation Road and Dairy Farm Road*
• Develop a better process for constituents to request transportation improvements*
• Improve Canary Creek bridge on New Road to reduce flooding*
• Incorporate more walkable, bikeable, mixed-use town centers into comp plan
• Study relaxed height limits as part of the comp plan to increase density 
• Increase importance of noise and lighting impacts of major transportation project recommendations
• Identify all locations in study area with poor drainage and make recommendations for inclusion in Capital Transportation Program or developer requirements
• Conduct a corridor study on Route 9 to determine the feasibility of widening to four lanes*
• Bring in nationally recognized planners and engineers to provide new, creative and context-sensitive ideas that draw from other parts of the country 
• Study feasibility of eliminating unsignalized crossovers on Route 1
• Identify potential connections to and from the Lewes Transit Center 
• Review need for grade separating or restricting crossings between Frederica and Lewes before eliminating signals in this area 
• Study potential locations and designs for aesthetically pleasing gateways to coastal Sussex
• Conduct capacity analyses at study area intersections to identify need for turn lanes*
• Identify costs and benefits of dedicating Nassau Commons Boulevard to public use
• Revisit and consider feasibility of recommendations from 2003 SR 1 Land Use and Transportation Study
• Continue to improve traffic signal phasing, timing and coordination using real-time monitoring and control technologies*
• Require new developments to plan for interconnections to any future development and monitor to ensure implementation 
• Use an app to warn people of congestion on Route 1 and recommend alternative routes
• Identify locations where trees can safely be planted within the right of way
• Study feasibility of lengthening southbound acceleration lane on Route 1 at Minos Conaway Road
• Identify publicly and privately owned land in the study area that may be used for trails
• Evaluate Tulip Drive connection to Route 1 as part of the Minos Conaway grade separation project
• Study feasibility of signing and/or pavement markings to improve bicyclist comfort turning left from Dartmouth Drive onto Route 1
• Look at east/west traffic as a system, including Minos Conaway, New, Old Orchard and Clay roads*
• Study opportunities for pedestrian crossings on Kings Highway and Freeman Highway*
• Study feasibility of replacing HAWK signal at Holland Glade Road with a full signal and potentially adding new entrance to Tanger Outlets
• Improve tourism-related destination signage along Route 1
• Study feasibility of converting Arby’s driveway between Route 1 and Savannah Road into a publicly accessible road 

* - unanimous vote 

No

• Identify locations for public restroom access 
• Introduce legislation allowing speed cameras
• Limit non-resident vehicles in some areas
• Evaluate benefits and costs of providing smaller buses, ideally open-air during peak season
• Require or encourage roundabouts at new subdivision entrances
• Study feasibility of converting existing development entrance intersections to roundabouts 
• Consider expanding town limits to Route 1 through annexation in order to allow towns to have more direct input on land connecting town to Route 1
• Consider requiring developments of a certain size contribute to shuttle services
• Consider using tax credits or incentives to encourage developers to plan for interconnections with other developments
• Limit traffic flow over the Indian River Inlet bridge 
• Study feasibility of a fare-free bus zone subsidized by Route 1 merchants
• Extend limited-access Route 1 from Dover through the Route 113 corridor into Maryland
• Study feasibility of elevated express lanes above Route 1 from Nassau to Delaware Seashore State Park