New Sussex Co. funding initiative to “FAST Track” road projects

SUSSEX CO., Del. – Sussex County officials approved a plan on Tuesday that will help fast track road improvement projects in the area.

The initiative is called the Funding Accelerating Safety in Transportation (FAST) Track Program. It provides up to five-million dollars to pay for projects that are planned for the future but not ranked as a high priority on the State’s six-year capital projects list. The county will essentially pay for a project in advance and then be reimbursed once the construction is complete.

“This isn’t a fund for an overpass or a third lane or something like that. It’s for very small targeted safety issues and road improvements,” says Sussex County Council Vice President Irwin ‘I.G.’ Burton III.

County officials have already selected the first project to pilot under the new initiative: the intersection of Cave Neck, Hudson and Sweetbriar Roads west of Lewes. The county’s FAST Track Funding will allow work to begin on that intersection in Lewes as early as 2021 instead of the state’s original timeline of 2025.