Many residents who live along Route 9, particularly on the roads that run from New Castle to John Dickinson’s Plantation in Dover, were gathered inside the Delaware City Community Center March 31 to voice their concerns about the future of the corridor.
In 2007, Route 9 was designated by the Delaware Department of Transportation as a State Scenic Byway. The state’s program was established to help recognize, preserve and enhance certain roads based on their cultural, historic, recreational or scenic qualities.
Discussion of the Route 9 Coastal Heritage Scenic Byway has lain dormant since the designation, but it picked back up last week when the non-profit preservation organization, Delaware Greenways, hosted the first advisory committee meeting for the byway’s corridor management plan.
Mark Chura, executive director of Delaware Greenways, said the corridor management plan is the required second step in the state byway designation process, and it is based on the community’s goals and objectives of how they want the road treated in the future.
“This process and what happens in the plan is defined by the people in this room and by your friends and neighbors who aren’t here tonight,” Chura said during the meeting. “That doesn’t go anywhere unless you all agree with it.”
Chura said this plan is meant to preserve and protect the qualities that make the road special to its residents and visitors.
Jim Klein of Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects, who was involved in the corridor management planning for the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway, said the program focuses on tourism and preservation of community character, and it could bring in federal dollars for projects that otherwise might not have been available.
“The primary qualities that made this corridor eligible for designation were its natural qualities like the wildlife areas, rich hunting and fishing areas, bird watching and photography,” Klein said. “People will come to this area to appreciate those things. The next step is to take those qualities and figure out how the byway can manage or guide those visitors to those places in a way that meets your goals.”
Chura said the plan will ultimately drive DelDOT’s future policies for the route. Delaware Greenways will work with residents, business owners and anyone else who has an interest in the corridor over the next 18 months to develop the contents of the plan.
Several residents who live along Route 9 expressed concerns about possible additions to the corridor’s roads.
Chura said there are no plans for a continuous bike path or 50-foot buffers, which were outlined along the corridor in a 2007 meeting during the designation process. He thinks many of the proposals, such as the buffer, were for planning purposes. The buffer would only be utilized if the residents wanted it designated for future projects.
“This does not affect anything you want to do with your property. What it does is define the area in which money can be spent,” he said.
Trina Mitchell, whose family has been farming on Route 9 near Leipsic for the past 50 years, said she still has concerns about how the community’s requests will translate into DelDOT’s planning.
“I really want Route 9 where I live to stay exactly as it is,” she said. “I want no lights, I do not want the road expanded, and I really don’t want increased traffic. But I’m not really convinced that those things won’t happen.”
Flo Burrows, a resident of Leipsic, said Route 9 is a dangerous road that people frequently speed on.
“It’s like Dover Downs International out there. There are no police protection; you don’t see them anywhere,” she said. “That is something that needs to be taken into consideration.”
Bruce Snow, a farmer who owns property near Bombay Hook, said increased traffic would make it harder for the local farmers to move large and heavy equipment, which is something they already struggle with.
“You’re promoting more people for a road that’s not safe for the traffic that it’s got,” he said.
Chura said the concerns residents raised at the meeting were valid and helpful in developing a scope for their plan.
“At this point, we’re really starting from a blank slate,” he said.
