Traffic

Overview - Traffic Concerns

• Construction of this subdivision will increase traffic by 3,032 vehicular trips per day at the intersection of Rt. 24 & Mulberry Knoll Road.

• Traffic along Rt. 24 corridor will increase by approx. 68,000 additional vehicular trips per day from the 6,800 homes that have been approved/are under construction since Dec. 2016.

• 81,560 additional vehicular trips along the Route 24 corridor will result from subdivisions in Sussex County approved since December 2016.

• Several intersections along Rt. 24 currently have an "E" or "F" Level of Service at certain times of the day. (See details below and in the Traffic Impact Analysis pp 21-22, 27-28, which can be found at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZZsYc5rkwpd76Yk_0W_QMPtwqtBzbPau/view

• The Traffic Impact Analysis only considers new subdivisions within a 2 mile radius. Traffic will be impacted by all the subdivisions being built in the Rt. 24 corridor from Coastal Highway down to Millsboro. Tidewater Landing on Robinsonville Road has 213 single family homes and is only a quarter mile past the 2 mile limit. A traffic analysis of all the Rt. 24 corridor should be completed.

• The Traffic Impact Analysis does not consider additional traffic that will occur with the new 4-story Beebe Specialty Surgery Hospital, new hotels, and other businesses.

• Traffic congestion impedes fire, police and EMS services, increasing response time and lengthening ambulance trip time to hospitals. This is a public safety issue.

• On p.15, Exhibit 9, "2026 Peak Hour Traffic Volumes" uses 8 Growth Factors *, yet the 2019-2027 growth factor used to calculate the increase of traffic over the span of 8 years ranges from 1.00 to 1.083 at various intersections; this growth factor seems inconsistent with the growth of Sussex County population. (See p. 15 of the TIS.) *Source: Census Bureau website https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/sussexcountydelaware

Traffic Impact Analysis for 'Scenic Manor', Information and Link

The Traffic Impact Analysis (TIS) for 'Scenic Manor' does not include several developments, the Beebe Specialty Hospital, a hotel & other businesses that are within the required 2 mile radius.

Intersections that currently has a traffic rating of Level E & F at certain times & directions (see pp 27-28 of TIS):

• Stop sign at Rt. 24 and Spencer Ln / Williams Way (Harts Landing entrance)

• Stop sign at Rt. 24 & Lexus Way (Beebe Healthcare Campus entrance)

Intersections that will have a traffic rating of Level E & F at certain times & directions by 2027 (see pp 21-22, 27-28 of TIS):

• Stop sign at Rt. 24 & Jolyns Way (intersection south-west of Pedlar's Village)

• Stop Sign at Rt. 24 & Bryn Mawr Dr. (across from DE Eye Institute)

https://pdcaprod.blob.core.windows.net/pdca-files/7042/202004011757/Estates%20at%20Mulberry%20Knoll%20TIS.pdf

Links to newspaper articles about local construction:

06/06/20 https://townsquaredelaware.com/2020/03/06/opinion-pristine-sussex-land-slated-for-development-should-be-saved/

01/10/20 https://delawarebusinessnow.com/2020/01/a-turning-point-for-sussex-countys-development-climate/

12/20/19 https://www.capegazette.com/article/quality-development-not-overdevelopment/194772

'Robinsonville Road project seeks 253 houses on two parcels, Cluster subdivision planned on 145 acres split by Webb’s Landing Road', Cape Gazette, July 19, 2019 https://www.capegazette.com/article/robinsonville-road-project-seeks-253-houses-two-parcels/184771

04/30/19 https://www.capegazette.com/article/hotel-boom-coming-lewes-rehoboth-area/179352

12/28/18 https://www.capegazette.com/article/construction-booming-cape-region/168597

'Can Sussex County land be both protected and developed?' by Taylor Goebel, Delaware Online, Dec.20, 2018, https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/delaware/2018/12/20/can-sussex-county-land-both-protected-and-developed/2275323002/

12/14/16 https://www.capegazette.com/article/new-belle-terre-plan-calls-269-homes/121985

06/10/16 https://www.capegazette.com/article/sussex-crossroads-can-we-protect-watershed-allow-growth/105269