LEWES, Del - DelDOT is hosting virtual open houses to give community members an inside look at the Five Points Transportation Study. The study is a joint effort including representatives from Sussex County as well as the department of transportation.
With input from a 20-member working group comprised of community members and business owners, the group is assessing possible solutions to transportation issues at and surrounding the busy intersection.
"The overall goal of the Five Points study is to just improve circulation in the area and also try to get things to be safer for all modes of travel," said Joshua Thomas, Planning Supervisor of DelDOT's Regional Systems Planning team.
Since the implementation of the working group, the study has held a number of community workshops that have been open to the public. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, these meetings are going virtual with a series of five virtual "Drop-In Sessions" being held from May through the beginning of June.
Thomas spoke to the necessity of continuing community outreach to ensure the success of the project. “In order for us to move forward with our work we need that input. So rather than delay things we’ve moved to a virtual format to try and reach as many people as possible," he said.
The workshop highlighted the current state of Phase 2, which the study has been in since Spring of 2019. Also discussed were goals for 2020 which included exploring possibilities like lengthening turn lanes and installing systems to alert travelers about full parking locations (specifically at Cape Henlopen State Park).
Updates also included the potential $116 million in state and federal funds that could be allocated toward the project over the course of the next six years should the current draft of DelDOT's Capital Transportation Plan be approved.
Of this proposal Jeff Riegner, project consultant for DelDOT said "That's a significant investment in a part of the state that desperately needs it and it really does show that the Five Points Transportation study is having an affect on bringing transportation improvements to the area".