Sussex County meeting probes traffic, safety and timing concerns for Atlantic Fields rezoning

At a Sussex County Council meeting, DelDOT staff, traffic consultants, residents and attorneys discussed transportation, safety and timing questions tied to a rezoning request (CZ2037) to allow a planned commercial center at Route 24 and Mulberry Knoll Road.

DelDOT subdivision engineer Wendy Velasco summarized Capital Transportation Program (CTP) timing and projects that factor into the proposal’s Traffic Impact Study (TIS). Velasco said Plantation Road Phase 2 right-of-way is planned for fiscal years 2027–2029 and that preliminary engineering for the Airport Road extension is scheduled for FY2025–2026. She noted the Mulberry Knoll Road extension design phase has been requested to begin after sufficient Transportation Improvement District (TID) collections were reached. “The TIS letter itself is a 70-page long, and it takes a pretty thorough look at traffic in the area,” a consultant from McCormick Taylor said during the presentation.

Why it matters: Council members and many residents pressed officials on how long off-site capacity improvements will take and…