MILTON, Del. - Drivers in the Milton area have been dealing with longer commutes since mid-May, due to a detour around Cave Neck Road. The road, which connects directly to Route 1, has been closed for repairs to an over 100-year-old bridge, a project DelDOT deems high priority.
What used to be a 10-minute drive from Milton out to Route 1 or vice versa, now takes closer to 18 minutes during busy times. For locals like John Gamble, who lives on the Milton side of the detour, the disruption has been frustrating.
“It’s really terrible,” Gamble said. “There’s been an awful lot of jammed up traffic here. There’s been several accidents... It’s been a really bad place to be.”
Gamble also noted that the detour signs were knocked down several times during recent storms, though they were put back up quickly.
Bill Knego, another local who frequently uses the route, echoed the confusion many drivers feel.
“It’s like nobody really knows what’s going on down there,” Knego said. “It’s actually not that bad... you just wonder when it’s going to get complete.”
DelDOT says the project is on schedule and the road is expected to reopen by mid-August.