'Study' Could Impact Hundreds Of Properties, Owners

While Millsboro is the only town that has, to date, held a formal vote on a resolution to support the Route 113 Blue Alternative as-is – the vote passed with only one dissenter, Councilman Greg Hastings – there is plenty of opposition to the plan farther south in the Route 113 corridor and even legislatively – including some from state Sen. George Bunting, who was among the first legislators to inquire about the possibilities of such a project.

“I’m at a disconnect as to how it got from a study to over $14 million spent and an $800 million project,” he said, adding that, with the state already leasing land from individuals, it seems as though the route for the project is already definite.

“Now, looking at an eastern bypass and one or two individuals or more getting $50,000 to $60,000 per month – it looks like they have chosen the destination by doing that. But they say in meetings, ‘It depends on the funding.’”

Of payment agreements made by the State of Delaware to some affected property owners in preparation for the project, Bunting asked rhetorically, “How do you justify that? If it was in the next few years, that’s a whole new ballgame.”

Bunting said he understands that Millsboro has issues to the east and west but doesn’t see why a bypass is needed south of Millsboro.

“Why do they need a bypass below Millsboro? It is a seasonal issue for Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville… There’s never been a traffic issue in Frankford.”

DelDOT officials emphasized is that, while there are no “leases,” per se, for any of the properties, there are “agreements that pay interest on the fair market value for the parcels to remain undeveloped.”

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