Letter from SANDY BRAE Homeowners

January 20, 2008

 

To:  Carolann Wicks, Secretary, Department of Transportation

From:  The Sandy Brae Homeowners Association

RE.:  Western Parkway

 

As the President of the Sandy Brae Homeowners Association, I’m sending you this letter to again state our position on the proposed Western Parkway…….NO BUILD!

 

We are a community of 259 homes that is forty-three years old.  Currently, our community is suffering from extensive vehicular cut through traffic from Postal Lane and Route One.  We are a community being squeezed between a six lane road (Route One) and a proposed four lane road (Plantations Road-Western Parkway) as well as commercial encroachment from Coast Plaza on Rout One.  In 2007, Sandy Brae experienced an alarming rate of property destruction from cars and trucks cutting the corners of resident’s lawns, cars were knocking over street signs, macadam being cracked and broken by every entrance, not to mention the safety issues of speeding vehicles through the community.  We see the construction of Western Parkway as creating more of this kind of behavior and we do not want it!!!

 

Up until two years ago, quality of life was great in Sandy Brae.  Once construction on Route One began, so did our troubles.  Our community sees the building of Western Parkway as a continuation of those troubles and the further deteriation of our quality of life.  The actual road itself will compromise the well-water of Sandy Brae homes abutting Plantation Road, the bright street lights used by DelDot for major roads will illuminate our community, and of course the increase in noise and pollution from this road being built so close to a residential community. Sandy Brae will loose its quality of life

 

We understand that poor planning to begin with has created this situation.  We are asking you to change that course of thinking. Go back to rethink the options and don’t build Western Parkway.

 

Thanks you for taking the time to listen to our issues.

 

Kathy Davison, President, Sandy Brae Homeowners Association

SIGN our ONLINE PETITION

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nobuild/

 

 

 

Summercrest resident writes to DelDOT head.

January 31, 2008

Ms. Carolann Wicks, Secretary

Delaware Department of Transportation, 800 Bay Road,  Dover, De. 19903

Re: Western Parkway

Dear Secretary Wicks:

I am writing to you regarding the “Western Parkway” project that is presently in the planning stage. I trust you are aware of the alternatives currently being considered, including consideration of what is referred to as  “No Build”.

 I live immediately adjacent to Route 1D (Plantation Road) and observe the day-to-day traffic on that road.  It is apparent from my observations that, with the exception of the five month summer period, the traffic on that road is what can be considered to be very light.

 The summer problem is the result of thru traffic attempting to avoid Route 1 in the Lewes/Rehoboth area. Unfortunately travelers are not aware that by attempting to avoid the Route 1 bottleneck by using Plantation Road (Route 1 D)  they create a greater problem for themselves and the residents that live along that road. That results because Plantation Road has a bottleneck at each end which causes endless back-ups.

 The alternative proposal to widen Plantation Road to four lanes will only result in a four lane back-up instead of 2-3. Traffic will still be unable to move at either end.

 I have been advised that the proposed widening of Plantation Road is for the benefit of local residents for now and in the future. I cannot disagree with that observation if a widening project would be limited to adding turn-off lanes in the center at existing road intersections. That would be beneficial from the standpoint of safety as future traffic increases.

Hopefully the completion of the major improvement of Route 1 in the Lewes/Rehoboth Beach area will alleviate the current traffic problem, at least for the immediate future.

However, it is apparent that a long range solution to the Route 1 problem is to build a road that routes thru traffic from a point north of Lewes to a point west of Dewey Beach.

Expensive as that project will be, it will be the only solution.  

I urge you to carefully review the proposal to widen Plantation Road to four lanes before you allow that to happen.

Sincerely yours,

Eugene J. Gerczak, 34772 Mute Swan Lane, Rehoboth Beach, De. 19971