DelDOT Meets With Sussex County Legislators On US 113 Improvements In Southern Delaware

Dover -- Sussex County legislators and DelDOT Secretary Shailen Bhatt met Friday on future improvements to the US 113 corridor. The group - which included Senators Joseph Booth and George Bunting, and Representatives Harvey Kenton, David Wilson, John Atkins and Gerald Hocker - agreed that DelDOT should immediately resume planning work on two sections while continuing to discuss the southern portion of the previously planned project. Participants in the meeting at DelDOT's Administrative Office agreed that DelDOT should:

* Proceed with applying for federal funding for the design of the planned limited-access portion of US 113 in the Ellendale area (between Deer Forest Road/East Redden Rd and Hudson Pond Road) with construction anticipated to begin within three to five years.
* Proceed with applying for federal environmental approval for the planned limited-access portion of the Georgetown area (from just north of East Redden Road to north of SR 20/Hardscrabble Road).
* Reconvene with legislators in early September to review alternative alignment options to be submitted by the legislators for the Millsboro-area bypass north of SR 24.
* Conduct further discussion with the legislators regarding the future of US 113 south of SR 24.
* Continue to design and implement safety improvements along the existing corridor, including intersection improvements identified through annual review of crash data.

DelDOT Secretary Bhatt said, "Governor Markell asked DelDOT to hold off on further planning until we began to see consensus among lawmakers for moving forward on 113. The meeting with legislators today was very positive and productive and we now have a path forward. DelDOT will resume planning work on the Ellendale and Georgetown portions and continue discussions regarding Millsboro and south. This project has the potential to reshape economic development, traffic management and highway safety in southern Delaware and I look forward to working with Sussex County lawmakers to achieve a successful implementation for the people of the state."