MILLSBORO, Del. - A DelDOT engineer was at the Town Center on Wednesday night to answer questions about the ongoing Millsboro bypass project.
The project aims to alleviate congestion in downtown Millsboro. It's expected to span two miles, stretching from the Route 113 and Route 20 intersection to Route 24. It includes building four bridges, some of which will span Millsboro Pond.
Representative Richard Collins (R-41) says he thinks drivers will prefer the bypass once it's built and fewer trucks will have to pass through the downtown area.
"Right now, when we have 113 and Route One on the east side that are now four and six lanes and they're trying to go through two lanes," Rep. Collins says. "Basically all the cars are coming in at 113. Many of them are trying to go across through the town. It's just an obvious choke point that's been there for years."
DelDOT Area Engineer George Pierce says the bypass will help local traffic trying to get to the newer communities in Millsboro on the west side of the highway.
"Additionally, trends for the seasonal beach traffic tend to be going west on 24, continuing north on 113, which now diverts them out of town to alternative routes west, such as for Redding Road, things that they're using to get across to Route 50 and to that side to the Bay Bridge," Pierce says.
DelDOT says the project should be complete by late summer of 2025. It has a price tag of about $130 million.