Savannah Road – from the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal drawbridge to the beach – may be improved to enhance safety for bicyclists and pedestrians and extend Lewes’ downtown streetscape.

The Department of Transportation, in conjunction with Lewes and the city’s byways committee, has developed a project to upgrade the half-mile section of road by adding crosswalk improvements, a new bike and pedestrian path, and a marsh outlook off American Legion Road.

The plan was presented to the public Dec. 12 at Lewes City Hall.

Gail van Gilder, chair of the byways committee, said the idea is to reduce vehicular traffic on Savannah Road by offering a safe alternative route to the beach. The plan is part of the Historic Lewes Byway: Gateway to the Bayshore corridor management plan, which was accepted by the state, county and city earlier this year.

“We’re in the planning stages,” van Gilder said. “We had preliminary meetings to come up with concepts, and this is how far we’ve gotten.”

Possibly the most notable change to the existing roadway would be the addition of a pedestrian and bicycle path running parallel with Savannah Road along the marshy side of the road. The plan proposes an 8- to 10-foot-wide path with a 4-foot vegetative buffer and a 2-foot shoulder separating the path from travel lanes.

Chip Kneavel, DelDOT project manager, said a separated path is safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists, as all will not have to compete for space on Savannah Road, although bicyclists will still be permitted to ride on the road. He said the vegetative buffer also serves as a filter, reducing or eliminating pollution from the nearby roadway into the marsh.

Kneavel said the project would not reduce flooding that already occurs on that section of Savannah Road.

“There’s not much we can do about tidal flooding,” he said. “That’s beyond the scope of this project. It would have to be looked at in a much larger scale.”

The project also includes brick paver crosswalks on the entire half-mile section. In addition to addressing safety and traffic concerns, Kneavel said, the project also has a goal of extending the streetscape of downtown Lewes to the beach, continuing some of the same design elements farther down Savannah Road.

Ann Gravatt, DelDOT planning supervisor in charge of the Transportation Alternatives Program, said a cost estimate for the project is still unknown; however, she is certain it will be more than $1 million.

The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration and receives between $3 million to $4 million in funding each year, Gravatt said.

There are about 25 projects statewide in various stages of the TAP process, she said. All projects are capped at $1 million to ensure funding is available for all projects.

“We need to make that money stretch,” Gravatt said.

If a project is expected to exceed $1 million, she said, it is split into multiple phases, and each phase can receive up to the $1 million cap. The Savannah Road project is expected to be completed in two phases, she said.

TAP projects are funded through an 80-20 partnership between the federal funds and a local sponsor. In the case of the Savannah Road project, the city of Lewes is the local sponsor funding 20 percent of the project.

The project is in the planning phase. If there are no substantial changes required after the public comment period, Gravatt said, the project will move into the design phase, where cost estimates will come into better focus. Gravatt anticipates construction of the first phase could begin in fall 2018 or early 2019.

Comments on the project can be mailed to DelDOT Community Relations, P.O. Box 778, Dover, DE 19903 or sent via email to dotpr@state.de.us or fax to 302-739-2092. For more information, contact DelDOT Community Relations at 1-800-652-5600 or 302-760-2080.