By Logan B. Anderson

DOVER — The Delaware Department of Transportation updated the state’s budget-writing committee on how it’s adapting for the future and continuing to ride through the COVID-19 pandemic during its turn before the Delaware General Assembly’s Joint Finance Committee.

On Wednesday, DelDOT Secretary Nicole Majeski presented her department’s Fiscal Year 2023 operating budget request. The proposed $359 million is just 1.3% larger than the current fiscal year’s allocation.

Ms. Majeski said the bulk of her budget request was for personnel. The department is requesting to add more full-time employees to serve areas where the state is seeing growth.

“We’re requesting two new (full-time employees) for south district … in Sussex County. This is a division that is reviewing all entrance plans and approvals and permitting and inspection. What they have seen is about a 33% increase in the number of permits that they’re seeing on an annual basis, and we need to increase the staff in order to keep up with the demand that’s down there,” Ms. Majeski said.

The budget request includes multiple requests for additional full-time workers. Many of the requests won’t mean new faces, as the secretary is seeking to make part time or seasonal employees full time.

Delaware’s transportation department has many different divisions created to address the state’s varied movement needs. It not only builds, maintains and controls roadways, it manages a public transportation system, maintains identification and driving records and is empowered to make sure that vehicles on the state’s roadways are safe, among other things.

DelDOT generates much of its own money through fees and tolls. It also receives support from the federal government.

Federal assistance has been vital to the department’s operations through the COVID-19 pandemic.

One way federal grants support the department is by helping to fund experimental projects that could help serve Delawareans in the future.

“We are really trying to rethink how we are delivering transit. We have seen a decline in our ridership from the pandemic. We’re still 40% down in ridership. And so, we’re looking at innovative ways on how we provide transit service,” Ms. Majeski said.

The federally funded DART Connect program being tested in the Georgetown-Millsboro area is helping public transit users move more cost effectively.

“This is an on-demand micro transit. Just like you would call for an Uber or Lyft, you can call for our transit bus in this designated area. We’ve had over 9,000 trips since April when we launched this program through a federal grant. And it’s been very successful. We’re going to continue to look at ways maybe we can deploy this type of transit service throughout the state,” Ms. Majeski said.

While adapting for changes in population and behaviors following a pandemic, DelDOT is also preparing for potential challenges related to climate change.

Ms. Majeski said her department has created a new division focused on transportation resiliency and sustainability.

The state of Delaware has more than $1 billion worth of existing infrastructure at risk.

“We have more roads that are overtopped with water on sunny days. This new division … focusing on what measures can we take to protect the existing infrastructure,” Ms. Majeski said.

The new division will also be responsible for preparing the state for the coming need for an electric vehicle infrastructure.

While this round of budget hearings is related to operating budgets, Ms. Majeski told lawmakers to get ready for a large rollout of capital projects next fiscal year.

“We are going to have one of the largest capital programs in the history of the state with the infrastructure funding that’s coming, plus the money that was already dedicated. Over the next six years, we will have a $4.5 billion capital program,” she said.