Changes coming to Five Points area

The Delaware Department of Transportation is fast-tracking a portion of the Route 9 widening project to solve a problem that arose after the new roundabout near Five Points opened in the spring.

Shortly after the new traffic pattern debuted on Memorial Day weekend, DelDOT civil engineer George Pierce said the department noticed traffic turning onto eastbound Route 9 was backing up into the roundabout.

“Believe it or not, we watch after we build, and we get feedback and we react to it,” he said.

What DelDOT noticed is that drivers were not using both through lanes that cross Route 1 and head east toward Lewes. Instead, some drivers waited until the far left lane was available before making a move.

To fix this problem, DelDOT is planning to widen the section of Route 9 between the new connector road and the Five Points intersection to allow drivers turning east onto Route 9 from the roundabout to have a dedicated through lane. When complete, there will be a through lane for drivers already on Route 9, a through lane for those turning onto Route 9 and a right-turn lane for drivers heading south on Route 1.

Pierce said the hope is to start the project in the coming days; however, if the weather turns cold, the work may not be completed until spring.

“Either way, it will be done and ready for when we get those peaks next summer,” he said.

DelDOT also noticed some drivers are confused by the signage in the area of the roundabout. Instead of using the road numbers, Pierce said they’ll soon add the road names to the signs.

The upcoming Route 9 work will eventually tie into the larger project to widen the roadway from Route 1 to just past Old Vine Boulevard. When complete, there will be two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane.