Two-lane highways are under volume pressure as more houses and vehicles bring people to coastal Delaware. There will be a public meeting to discuss traffic conditions along Route 54 (Lighthouse Road) on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 12:30 p.m. at the Roxana Volunteer Fire Company’s fire hall.
State Sen. Gerald Hocker Sr. (R-20th) and Rep. Ron Gray (R-38th) have invited Delaware Department of Transportation staff to discuss entrance plans for the proposed Royal Farms site, as well as nearby Route 54 traffic issues.
“Recently, I’ve heard more and more from my constituents about the increase of east-west traffic in our area, especially on Route 54,” Hocker stated. “Rep. Gray and I felt that it was best to schedule a meeting with the right people from DelDOT and provide an opportunity for the concerns to be heard. Even though there have been several improvements made on Route 54, more needs to be done.”
In the Route 54 Mainline Project, from 2010 to 2012, the road was widened to add a center turn lane, sidewalks and bike lanes. Those improvements have eased traffic but don’t prevent the backups that can occur due to an accident or just standard beach traffic on a Saturday morning.
“Residents along Route 54 from Route 20 to Route 1 are concerned about the traffic on Route 54.” Gray said. “I have been approached by residents living in Keenwick Sound, located across the street from a proposed Royal Farms store, to address their concerns about additional traffic congestion that would be associated with this new store.”
Behind the Royal Farms, 86 townhouse units are planned (down from 100 units). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, with other housing developments and gas stations along the other 10 miles of Lighthouse Road.
The Sept. 19 meeting is intended to allow DelDOT staff to answer the public’s questions about traffic flow in the corridor, particularly in light of new development.