Council adopts updated project-prioritization process and approves FY21–FY26 CTP modifications

The Delaware Council on Transportation voted unanimously on Feb. 24, 2020, to adopt an updated Enhanced Project Prioritization Process and to approve modifications to the FY21–FY26 Capital Transportation Plan (CTP).

At the DelDOT Administration Building in Dover, Planning staff presented the proposed changes to the prioritization criteria and a draft FY21–FY26 implementation plan. Mike DuRoss summarized the proposed updates to the Enhanced Project Prioritization Process and described an economic-impact analysis using TREDIS for the US 301/Westown transit improvement district tied to an Amazon distribution center, noting distinctions among planning assumptions, TREDIS estimates and the reported job numbers associated with the facility. The council then voted to adopt the updated prioritization process, with Councilman John Gilbert making the motion and Councilwoman Pam Scott seconding; the motion was recorded as unanimously approved.

Drew Boyce reviewed changes to the draft FY21–FY26 CTP since December 2019, explaining that only new FY21 projects were ranked under the updated prioritization method while projects already in the plan remained ranked under the previous method. The council voted to approve the modifications to the CTP—described in the minutes as related to protections when right-of-way acquisition and project development were occurring—on a unanimous vote after a motion from Councilwoman Pam Scott and a second from Martin Lessner.

The votes formalize DelDOT’s updated approach to scoring and sequencing projects; DelDOT staff said the change will affect how future projects are ranked and scheduled for engineering, right-of-way and construction phases. No dissenting votes were recorded in the minutes.

The meeting also recorded administrative items: approval of the meeting agenda and the Dec. 16, 2019 minutes, both by unanimous votes.