DelDOT aiming to tackle freight traffic in Milton with public survey
MILTON, Del. – DelDOT has its attentions on Milton right now.
The agency is trying to tackle increasing tractor trailer traffic on smaller municipal streets. Discoveries made during last year’s statewide freight planning spurred the survey.
Tackling Tractor Trailer Traffic
Traffic, or guidance from navigation apps like Waze or Google Maps, forced truckers to squeeze into small streets, says DelDOT. A town manager had to bend a stop sign to allow a truck to get through in one instance, says DelDOT Statewide and Regional Planner Jennifer Cinelli.
“One of the things I saw on a regular basis, out of almost all of the municipalities, was an identifiable need for help with freight, and freight movements throughout those municipalities,” said DelDOT Statewide and Regional Planner Jennifer Cinelli. “Some of those municipal roads are very tight, and during COVID-19 there was so much delivery, and there weren’t many cars on the road. So, the trucks really moved around kind of freely.”
Asking For Input
The agency has already surveyed Milford residents. Now, DelDOT is asking Milton residents to tell them where they’re seeing tractor trailers back up traffic the most.
“We need to know where you’re seeing freight trucks. Tell us the worst place you see them. For me, I used an example where I live, where there’s a delivery truck that parks outside the liquor store when there’s literally a parking lot right next to the liquor store,” said Cinelli. “We also want to hear from the freight leaders. We need to hear where you’re finding the hardest places to reach, and how we can help you get there. My biggest things is, if we’re saying ‘No’ to them somewhere, using a street, where are we saying ‘Yes’?”
Cinelli says getting this feedback is more important than ever as Sussex County’s population continues to grow.
“Having people kind of think through those things, and help us come up with those solutions, that’s really where the survey is going to take you; Where are some of our identifiable concerns, and where are our solutions?” said Cinelli. “It’s important for us to keep an eye on those sorts of things, and flag something when we see it coming in more frequently, and making sure we can figure out ways to work with municipal leaders, and the towns, themselves.”
Get Involved
The survey closes on May 18th. DelDOT will determine next steps on how to tackle freight traffic in small towns once results are collected.
“We’re going to come up with a toolkit of how we can work with not just the municipalities, but again the freight leaders, in getting those trucks moving where they need to be,” said Cinelli. “It’s exciting, as it is challenging. But, my hope is to make sure that everyone is able to get where you’re going, timely, and most importantly, safely. That’s both freight movements, or regular vehicle movements.”
