MILTON, Del.- A new traffic pattern at the intersection of Route 1 and Route 16 will go into effect beginning April 22, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation.
The traffic pattern is as follows:
- Northbound Route 1 traffic will continue to use Ramps A and B.
- Southbound Route 1 traffic will be shifted onto the newly constructed southbound lanes.
- Ramps on the west side of Route 1 will open to allow movement from southbound Route 1 and Route 16, and from Route 16 onto southbound Route 1.
- The traffic signal on southbound Route 1 will be removed.
- The traffic signal at the intersection of northbound Route 1 and Route 16 will remain in place.
This marks the start of the Phase 4 construction, DelDOT says it will last until approximately fall 2025. This is in relation to the ongoing construction of an overpass. The project began in 2022 and is costing a total of $23 million.
Local Elsie Pennington got hit at in the intersection in the past.
"Thank God it didn't kill her, it didn't injure her, but it was scary," said her husband, Edward Pennington.Â
Still, Elsie Pennington says she's worried about the project.
"I can only imagine in the summer when the traffic is worse and when they take the light away from here from 16 and 1 that I don't know how I would get across that," said Elsie Pennington. "That's my main concern."
Mike Jensen, who lives in the neighborhood near the intersection, says he's optimistic.
"Once the summer comes, I imagine it's going to be quite busy," said Jensen. "So this is going to relieve some of the traffic; around here anyway."
DelDOT says the intersection of Route 1 and Route 16 is where they've seen the most crashes along Route 1 in Sussex County since 2012.
