Delaware Department of Trans-portation (DelDOT) officials held a public workshop Monday, March 1 at Lord Baltimore Elementary School to unveil their plans for an alternate Route 26. The plan would reroute traffic from the current Route 26 onto a network of roads south of the current thoroughfare through Millville and Ocean View.

Traveling west to east, the project would send local traffic onto Burbage Road from Roxana Road (Route 17) to Windmill Road then onto Central Avenue to Beaver Dam Road and out onto Muddy Neck Road.

Each of these roads will be widened to 11 feet per driving lane with paved five-foot-wide shoulders with a 35 miles per hour speed limit, according to Jim Satterfield, a DelDOT employee on hand to answer questions. The roads along the expanse currently measure 10 feet wide with no shoulders.

"It depends," Satterfield said of the public's opinion on the project. "Those who live along the route are unhappy. Some others are pleased, too."

He said the project is expected to cost about $11 million and is slated to begin in November 2005. However, DelDOT is holding several public workshops early in the planning process so that area residents and travelers know more about what is planned for the area. The agency also hopes to gather input on the project through the workshops.

Several area residents attended the Monday workshop to have questions answered.

"From what I hear, I'm a lot happier than what I thought I would be," Dom DeMaio said. "I was concerned they were going to change Route 26 in some places to have only one-way traffic -- that it would be a temporary fix. At a later date, they would fix it back."

DeMaio said rumors about the project had been circulating. This prompted him to attend the workshop to find out for himself what state officials had planned.

Another concern for resident John Bailey is the county's plan to install a sewer in the areas surrounding the proposed alternate Route 26 in 2007. He and DeMaio said it would be wiser for both entities to work together, putting the sewer in the same time the road work was to be done. These sentiments were echoed by State Rep. Gerald Hocker (R-38th District), who was also on hand to view DelDOT's plans.

"They need to work it in with the sewer," Hocker said. "Get the sewer in place, then do a number-one job."

Hocker said it's about time the county and state got together to plan road projects along with development. For too long, he added, the county has approved development and forced road projects, rather than roads opening up areas for development.

"Development has steered roads too long," he said. "We need some commonsense people working with Sussex County officials and working with the state to develop the area."

Hocker said Sussex County can use all the roadway it can get, including further expansion and improvements on east/west thoroughfares.

"I think a dual, east/west, is essential. We need to be looking at it on an accelerated basis," he added.

With these two major projects (alternate Route 26 and county sewer service) slated for the area in the next four to six years, residents and Hocker said they hope state and county officials will get together to coordinate their plans.

Reach Roxann Moore at (302) 537-1881, ext. 108, or by e-mail at mailto:rmoore@smgpo.gannett.com

Originally published Wednesday, March 5, 2003