LEWES, Del. - As part of the larger Five Points project, Plantation Road in Lewes will close starting Nov. 6 and will last six months.
DelDOT says Plantation Road will be closed from Shady Road to just west of Salt Marsh Boulevard, including access to the Route 9 intersection. The project aims to reduce congestion, improve safety, and accommodate growing traffic.
Plantation Road will close in Lewes on Nov. 6. Courtesy DelDOT.
Kent Baschwitz, who lives down the street from Plantation Road, says the detour onto Dairy Farm Road to access Route one is already a dangerous spot for drivers,
"I'm very concerned about that... When I make that left on Dairy Farm Road onto Beaver Dam I am white knuckled," said Baschwitz. "I mean people come flying down Beaver Dam Road and you take your life in your hands when you make that left turn."
However DelDOT expects that this detour will cause congestion, especially for the first week or two as drivers get used to the change,
"That's something that we will be watching closely and again as people adjust their own schedules, they find a way that they're comfortable taking, we usually do see things tend to level out." said C.R. McLeod with DelDOT.
While concerns lingered over people's knowledge on how to use a roundabout returned during a presentation of the road closure Thursday, DelDOT says there are already 30 implemented across the state.
"We are very confident that this is going to be an improvement over the existing conditions that we've all had to navigate over the past years and we will be continuing to do outreach ahead of the opening of the roundabout." said McLeod.
In March 2024, the new roundabout will open and this phase of the project is expected to be complete by Memorial Day.
Any questions about this closure can be directed to dotpublic@delaware.gov.
