MILLSBORO, DE -- Millsboro town leaders held their inaugural DelDOT Committee meeting today, where they discussed plans to improve traffic congestion and safety around the town.
Some of the issues targeted at Monday's meeting included adding a red-light intersection outside the Plantation Lakes development on Route 24. They also discussed adding a four-way stop to the intersection of Route 24 and Delaware Avenue.
Some neighbors told WBOC that they think the addition of a four-way stop would help prevent accidents. Dale Lingo, who lives at the intersection, said he worries it could cause more congestion on the road.
"I think, with the amount of cars we got, a four-way stop is going to congest up Delaware Avenue and Laurel Road even more," Lingo said. "Living on the corner, I have the ability to get out on either side, but I think both sides are going to be backed up."
Lingo said he thinks a traffic circle would help alleviate traffic more effectively. However, he said he would likely move if they were to put one outside his home. Overall, Lingo said he does not think the area's infrastructure can handle the increased traffic.
"Probably from too much building," Lingo said. "I liked it better years ago. I can't get out of my driveway with all of the traffic."
Town leaders said they're also looking to reduce the speed limit on Route 24 to 35mph from Lewis Road to Delaware Avenue. Tammy Tobin works as a nail tech just past the intersection at Delaware Avenue, and said she often sees speeders coming into town.
"I've witnessed multiple accidents just sitting here. We just had one about four weeks ago where a girl turning left onto Wharton road wasn't paying attention to what was coming, and she just drove up onto a car in front like it wasn't even there."
Tobin said lowering the speed limit coming into town would help reduce accidents, as long as there is proper enforcement. Tobin also said that congestion is a big issue on the road.
"Traffic gets backed up from plantation lakes all the way to the Wawa at 113," Tobin said. "You also have people blocking intersections and not allowing people to get through."
Another topic of discussion for town leaders was the idea of creating a traffic management plan for the intersections in and around the Millsboro Bypass.
Town officials said one goal of the DelDOT committee is to stay in close contact with DelDOT regarding timelines for upcoming projects. They said they do not have a final timeline for the aforementioned projects, and hope to solidify plans with DelDOT officials in the coming weeks.