SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.- We have seen flooding too many times along Route 1 between Dewey Beach and Fenwick island.
Now a resiliency study is getting underway along the coast.
DelDOT is looking for ways to improve Route 1 so the likelihood of floods lessens.
Director of Transportation Resiliency & Stability Jim Pappas says that floods can happen due to heavy rain but also on sunny days.
"When we have high tide cycles in Delaware, those tide cycles are higher than the roads and the roads will literally flood on sunny days," Pappas said.
DelDOT is looking at what other states are doing to decide what is best for beach towns in the first state. Some ideas include building flood walls and raising roads. The agency will be surveying each town to decide what is best for them.
Dewey Beach Town Manager Bill Zolper says flooding can stretch from the Delaware Bay to Route 1.
"When there is an extreme high tide in the bay, the water can't go out in the bay because there is nowhere for it to drop," Zolper said. "So it backs up into the pipes, goes back up into the storm drains and then floods throughout the town. Once the tide goes back out and the water recedes, then it goes back into the bay from the town."
Phil Winkler who lives on Read Street, the lowest lying street in Dewey Beach, says he has experienced some bad floods.
"It happens every Fall and in particular where there are heavy rains, the water has no place to drain," Winkler said. "So it's rainwater that usually sits here on the street, not bay water."
DelDOT is seeking comments from the public on this study. A form can be submitted online on DelDOT’s website. Public workshops will be held later this year to discuss the options on the table.
The study is in the very early stages and it will be years until construction projects are expected to begin.
