MILLSBORO, Del. — A growing number of residents and town officials are raising alarms about safety risks along a busy stretch of Delaware Route 24 near Plantation Lakes, exacerbated by rapid development in the area.
Plantation Lakes resident, Irina Giller, regularly uses Godwin School Road to enter and exit the North Shore section of the community.
"It's very dangerous," says Giller. "Turning from the Godwin school to either go east or west on 24 is challenging because the traffic on 24 goes 45 to 50 miles an hour."
She points to a combination of heavy truck traffic and ongoing roadwork as contributing factors to the already nightmare of a situation. Giller, along with other locals, expresses growing concern over the lack of effective safety measures in the area.
Many say the closure of Hardscrabble Road at Sheep Pen Road has only worsened the situation. Drivers now face even greater difficulty navigating the area, as the only remaining exit from North Shore at Godwin School Road becomes increasingly congested.
Town Councilman Marty Presley echoed these concerns, emphasizing that Millsboro officials have been in contact with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) for over two years to address the issue.
"It gets put off by traffic studies and looking at individual intersections, and it's just not taken very seriously, I don't think," Presley said.
To improve safety, town officials are considering two potential solutions. One proposal is gradually reducing the speed limit from 50 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour on Route 24 between Mumford Road and the Route 113 intersection. Additionally, they are exploring the possibility of installing a traffic signal at the intersection of Plantation Lakes Boulevard and Route 24.
Giller, however, is concerned that without action, the situation could turn deadly as the new South Shore section nears closer to completion. “We will have death on our hands and we want to prevent it,” she said.
DelDOT's Community Relations Director, C.R. McLeod, confirmed that the department is conducting a traffic study for the area and plans to share the results with Millsboro officials in January.