MILLSBORO, Del. -Â After decades of planning and more than a year of construction, the Millsboro Bypass is set to officially open Thursday night.
Local and state officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday to mark the completion of the project.
George Pierce, group engineer for Sussex County, said the bypass will bring long-awaited improvements. "This improves safety, makes downtown a little more friendly for pedestrians. Just takes that through traffic out, reduces volume," Pierce said.
The red route shows current downtown traffic, while the green route highlights the new bypass that will divert through traffic.
Businesses in the town of Millsboro, including Nectar Cafe and Juice Bar, say they feel the impact of traffic every day.
Hostess Melody MacNamara described the difficulty of navigating local roads. "I live about two miles away, and some mornings it can take me 25 minutes to travel two miles," she said.
According to MacNamara, cars create heavy congestion on the main stretch of road through town. Once the bypass opens, drivers will have a new alternate route, expected to divert trucks and through traffic away from downtown.
Businesses in the town of Millsboro say they feel the impact of traffic every day.
MacNamara said she hopes the change makes a noticeable difference. "Make it a little more walkable, make people come in and shop and find good places to eat. So we think that it is definitely a benefit when that bypass opens," she said.
According to DelDOT, crews are finishing the final touches this week, including painting and road striping, before the bypass opens to the public on Thursday night.