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DelDOT outlines FY26 Transportation Trust Fund forecast and CTP priorities for Sussex County
Summary
Delaware Department of Transportation officials presented projected FY26 revenues, spending priorities and the biennial Capital Transportation Program process to the Sussex County Council, and described how federal uncertainty and long project timelines affect local delivery.
Shante Hastings, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation, told the Sussex County Council on March 4 that DelDOT’s planning and spending decisions for the coming years reflect safety priorities, statewide needs and growing uncertainty in federal funding.
DelDOT deputy secretary Lainie Climber presented the Transportation Trust Fund projection for fiscal year 2026, describing revenue categories and how the agency allocates proceeds between operations and the capital program.
“On the right hand side of this slide, you’ll see that we anticipate receiving over $201,000,000 for tolling,” Climber said, and she listed other revenue lines the department expects to use for operations and capital work. DelDOT told the council it plans a split of roughly 45% of next year’s Trust Fund revenues for operating needs and 55% for capital projects, and projected a capital program spend of about $575,000,000 for FY26, with about $250,000,000 state funds and $325,000,000 federal funds.
Why it matters: DelDOT said the federal five‑year transportation law commonly referenced as IIJA (the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) ends in FY26, so DelDOT is taking a conservative approach to future federal revenue assumptions. Climber warned that long‑term changes in fuel consumption and electric vehicle adoption also reduce motor‑fuel tax growth and will require future adjustments to state funding approaches.
DelDOT described the Capital Transportation Program (CTP) as a six‑year planning tool prepared every two years. Projects are scored and prioritized across safety, congestion, multimodal benefit and state/local priority; DelDOT staff said once a project enters the design and right‑of‑way stages the agency intends to complete it even if ranking shifts for newly proposed projects.
Officials also explained the agency’s role in metropolitan planning organization (MPO) responsibilities. DelDOT currently performs MPO‑style planning for Sussex County in partnership with the county; the department said options exist to form a local MPO or an RTPO (regional transportation planning organization) but that federal census timing and legal processes constrain immediate changes.
Council members raised whether development contributions to DelDOT projects are tracked. Secretary Hastings said developer funds tied to a specific project are tracked in a project account, but work that developers perform directly (for instance, building an access road on private work) does not always appear on DelDOT’s books when the developer does the construction themselves.
DelDOT repeated its emphasis on safety investments — median cable barriers, roundabouts, crosswalks and “always stop” intersection controls — and said recent years’ fatality counts have prompted new emphasis on the federal Safe System approach.
The department provided staff contact and project pages and invited submissions for the next CTP through Sussex County’s public idea collection running to March 24.
