DelDOT MOU (2020)

At its Tuesday (September 22) meeting, Sussex County Council approved an updated memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) that officials from both entities hope will improve the coordination and planning of land development in southern Delaware. Following the vote, Council President Michael H. Vincent, DelDOT Secretary Jennifer Cohan signed the agreement (in photo). 

The agreement is the first major update to a previous pact signed by both parties in the late 1980s. It serves as a guide to how the county and DelDOT work together to exchange information and address traffic issues that come with new development.

Among some of the most significant changes in the new agreement:

• DelDOT will provide Sussex County relevant information, including traffic data, before any public hearings occur.

• DelDOT will recommend conditions of approval related to road and traffic issues for the county’s consideration. Such proposed conditions could include tying a project's progress to the timing of improvements on the roads serving it.

• Sussex County and DelDOT pledge to maintain, where possible, a minimum level of service grade of ‘D’ for roadways and intersections, to ensure traffic flows are not adversely affected by new development. In instances when the grade is at or could fall below ‘D’, DelDOT will require traffic improvements so that the existing level of service is not worsened by the new project.

• All parties will have clearer definitions and expectations for different types, sizes and traffic impacts of projects.