REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Rehoboth Avenue is home to several popular attractions in Rehoboth Beach. Nearby is a residential community whose residents walk to those attractions.
To get there and back, though, you much cross State Road.
The Grove and Munson Street intersection with State Road is one of the busiest during the warm weather months for vehicles and pedestrians alike, and neighbors day it is unsafe.
"We've been here about a year and a half and we've seen two car accidents that actually we witnessed ourselves," said David Pollack, a State Road neighbor.
Neighbor Elizabeth Stoddard corroborated Pollack's account.
"People coming through don't realize it's not a four-way stop, and there have been quite a few fender benders, and actually a really bad accident last year," Stoddard said.
The City of Rehoboth Beach will install several pedestrian safety improvements over the next several months, including "bump-out" curbs which will shorten the distance required to cross the street, well-marked crosswalks, and flashing beacons that will alert drivers that people are entering the crosswalk.
The project will cost the city between $75,000 and $100,000, and is expected to be complete by the start of the 2023 summer visitor season.
Pollack said he is pleased by the coming improvements.
"The idea that there will be a crosswalk there certainly makes it much better for us and much safer for us and our families to cross the street," Pollack said.
The City is also considering adding sidewalks to Grove Street between State Road and Rehoboth Avenue. That project, though, will require coordination with Delmarva Power to relocate power poles and lines. That project is likely to begin in Fall 2023 for completion by Summer 2024.