By Brian Gilliland

LEWES — Plantation Road and Beaver Dam Road traffic is expected to access a leg of the new roundabout in the Five Points area by the end of March, with full operation by Memorial Day right on schedule, several DelDOT officials told a working group at a meeting Monday night.

Although the roundabout is expected to be open by the holiday, that doesn’t mean work has been completed. According to materials furnished to the working group, formed in 2017, the agency expects it will take nine months to install punch-list items like sidewalks, utilities and other infrastructure items.

DelDOT expects project completion on the roundabout during the first three months of 2025.

Updates were also given on four other projects within the same area. Plantation Road from Robinsonville Road to Del. 9, is expected to change construction phases close to when the roundabout fully opens. For now, no major changes are expected to this area until the phase change.

Next came updates to the intersection of Coastal Highway and Old Landing Road, with work being substantially complete on both items, and the contractor performing requirements. These projects reimagine the intersection with Rehoboth Mall Boulevard, and the U-turns nearby.

Finally, along Del. 24 from Love Creek to Mulberry Knoll, DelDOT reports transitioning to the final phase of construction, to be completed by the summer.

The 17th meeting of the Five Points Transportation Study Working Group also included updates on wider transportation initiatives the state is working toward. Following the updates, public comment was allowed. The next session is scheduled for April 22, but the location has not been determined.

So while the main thrust of the meeting was to discuss updates to the Five Points intersection, the meeting was much broader in focus.

Working group members and attendees heard updates on the more than dozen projects now in the design or planning stages in the area, with more detail available at DelDOT’s projects portal, www.deldot.gov/projects.

Next, was an update on the state’s AI-assisted transportation management system, called AI-ITMS, followed by a status update of the working group’s recommendations on the project. While no new suggestions from the group have been implemented since the previous October 2023 meeting, the group does count more than a dozen adopted suggestions as successes.

These include items like sign placement or traffic monitoring systems to alert travelers when lots are full.

Before adjourning, the group heard comments from the public on maintaining tree populations during construction, sign placements, data collection and perhaps limiting roads to certain types of vehicle traffic.