Community feedback needed in Milton Active Transportation Plan

MILTON, Del. – Delaware transportation officials and Milton leaders are working to find solutions to the town’s increased need for bicycle and pedestrian pathways.

Addressing Bike, Pedestrian Challenges

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) is collecting community feedback on several proposed ideas aimed at addressing current challenges.

“Probably the biggest challenge we have—and I say this more often than I care to—is that Milton has 19th-century street design and 21st-century traffic. Most of our streets are relatively narrow. Not all of them have sidewalks, and there’s a limited amount of right of way. The right of way is a shared entity between pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists,” said Milton Mayor John Collier.

Planned Spurred by Studies

The Milton Active Transportation Plan recommendation comes as part of a regional Coastal Corridors Study. That project began in 2022, to identify short-, medium– and long-term traffic solutions for east-west corridors.

As a result of that study, the related State Route 16 Corridor Study began in 2024. The goal of this study is to examine potential improvements along SR 16 in Milton. It also seeks to identify alternatives or improvements with additional circulation and commercial options on the issues of safety, development, and environmental sustainability. The improvements would be made from East of Ellendale to State Route 1.

“It’s all speculative,”

So far, a wide variety of bicycle and pedestrian routes have been proposed.

“It’s all speculative, and it’s all based on input from citizens. The one thing I can say about this whole process is that meetings happen regularly. They’re publically announced, and directed a public participation,” Mayor Collier said.

Over the years, Mayor Collier said Milton’s residents have chosen to walk or bike, rather than drive, more often. Mayor Collier added he can recall groups of bicyclists by the dozen rolling through town and patronizing local businesses years ago. The mayor said town leaders are working toward solutions that consider both of those needs.

“For many, many years a lot of bicycle clubs and groups went through Milton and used this area surrounding Milton as kind of their playground. Of course, with the growth that’s occurred, it’s not as much fun to play here as it once was,” Mayor Collier said.

Looking Ahead

There is another upcoming transportation advisory meeting that has yet to be scheduled. Mayor Collier said he encourages everyone to take part in the planning as often as possible.

“If you start with a limited amount of data, you get limited solutions. If you get unlimited data, you have unlimited solutions. That’s the way I feel,” Mayor Collier said.

To learn more about Milton’s Active Transportation Plan, interested parties may reach DelDOT Project Manager Paul Moster at MiltonATP@PublicInput.com, or by calling 855-925-2801 and entering project code 7019 when prompted.