Project Limits

The project is located on the southwestern side of Dover, DE and to the north of Camden & Wyoming, DE. More specifically the project starts in the vicinity of the Rodney Village Shopping Center on US13, travels in a northwesterly direction and terminates at the existing intersection of North St. & Saulsbury Road. The overall project length is approximately 3.2 miles with auxiliary connections to New Burton Road and Wyoming Mill Road.

Project Need

The purpose and need for the West Dover Connector is to improve mobility across the Norfolk Southern Railroad for all modes of travel to and from the west side of Dover, reduce congestion at key intersections in the study area, improve the connectivity of the roadway network for regional, through and local travel, reduce through traffic volume on local streets and within historic districts, and improve safety, including emergency service access. The Preferred Alternative was selected after an extensive public outreach process and environmental analysis.

Project Overview

The West Dover Connector will be approximately 3.2 miles of newly constructed roadway. The roadway section will be that of a boulevard approach with one lane in each direction with shoulders, a grass median and multimodal facilities throughout the project limits. Bicycle facilities will be provided on the roadway shoulder in addition to a shared use path. Improvements will be made at the US13 intersection with signal upgrades and additional turn lanes. Auxiliary connections to New Burton Rd. & Wyoming Mill Rd. will be accommodated via spur roads with improvements to those existing roadways as needed to facilitate turning movements. The existing intersection of North St. & Saulsbury Rd. will be upgraded to accommodate additional through and turning lanes as needed for projected traffic volumes. Multimodal accommodations and signal upgrades will also be incorporated as needed at the intersection. Upon completion the West Dover Connector will provide direct connections for multiple residential areas to one another as well as to commercial and medical facilities. In addition non-motorized recreational connections will be created between multiple Kent County and City of Dover Parks and Recreation facilities located in the project area.

Project Schedule

The Environmental Assessment has been finalized and the project is nearing final NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) clearance. Preliminary Engineering is ongoing with anticipated Real Estate Acquisition to start in Fall 2012 with completion in 2014. Construction is anticipated to start in Fall/Winter 2014 with an anticipated duration of approximately 30 months.