DOVER — As trucks pulled in and out of Chesapeake Utilities in Dover on Dec. 11, industry professionals were inside discussing the fate of winter freight in Delaware.
The Delaware Winter Freight Meeting was just one of a few yearly meetings presented through a partnership with the Delaware Department of Transportation, Dover/Kent County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), Salisbury/Wicomico MPO, the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA) and the Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO).
IPA Associate Director Troy Mix said the university worked to survey individuals who frequently see the freight industry behind the scenes, traveling Delaware’s roadways and bridges, as well as its railway options, frequently.
“What we have learned from these interviews is that the state has aging infrastructure and it’s a barrier to progress,” he said during the meeting. “The Delaware Canal Life Bridge for example, which was built in the 1960s, can be traveled one way at a time with capacity restrictions and frequent bottlenecks. We also have challenges such as land use barriers, housing being built next to railroads, agricultural issues and we have to attempt to work through those because they happen individually in each case as they come before the various zoning boards across the state.”
These are just a few of the issues that plague transportation professionals sometimes on a daily basis as they find their ways through Delaware.
Mix said those issues are often discussed during the freight meetings and play an important role in helping leaders, as well as developers and policymakers, tease out the necessary steps needed to improve Delaware’s transportation landscape while also meeting the needs of the community, region and federal requirements.
Dover/Kent County MPO Executive Director Marilyn Smith took the opportunity to share news with the transportation community about a new initiative headed for Kent County that could help alleviate some of their local freight concerns – a new Dover Freight Plan.
About 36% of employees working in Kent County currently work in a freight-intensive sector, according to the Delaware State Freight Plan, necessitating more work in the local community to ensure safer travels and more efficient pathways for those freight-based employees.
“These conversations are just what we need to ensure we’re on the right path ourselves,” Smith told the Delaware Business Times.
The Dover Freight Plan will be finalized soon, she added, complete with local recommendations to improve transportation in Dover. It comes on the heels of the Delaware State Freight Plan, required by law, which was updated in 2022.
As presenters looked at the current state of freight in Delaware and surrounding areas, including railways, as well impending plans like the Dover Freight Plan, others wanted to highlight areas that still need improvement such as driver safety for the public and farmers.
Members of the Delaware Farm Bureau who were in attendance spoke up about changes in GPS routes for travelers in the First State which causes confusion as those drivers often aren’t used to the frequent travel of local farm equipment.
“These are the kinds of conversations we want to continue to have. We know it’s tough to not hit the mark exactly right in terms of what makes sense. . . We’re going to pick these conversations back up soon,” Mix said. “But the more we get different perspectives out there, the safer we can make our roadways and railways.”
