Delaware beaches, fair to make for busy travel weekend
As another busy vacation weekend approaches, transportation officials once again are advising drivers to avoid traveling south to the beaches during the Friday evening rush hour or at midday Saturday.
Late July is the height of the beach vacation season, and with temperatures forecast to be well into in the 90s, thousands of Delawareans will likely seek out the cooler breezes that flow onto First State beaches. Others will go to the Delaware State Fair in Harrington, which opened Thursday and runs through July 30.
Congestion is likely on the state's primary north-south arteries of Del.1, U.S. 13 and U.S. 113.
Delaware Department of Transportation officials have been monitoring vehicle travel patterns and are adjusting signals as congestion builds on highways through Millsboro and near Georgetown, said Gene Donaldson, DelDOT's traffic manager. To make the movement of vehicles more efficient, officials are lengthening green light time on main roads, he said.
"The growth at the beach is substantial," Donaldson said. "The amount of green time apportioned to the mainline is being better apportioned."
Vehicle travel has been higher on average this year than in the past, Donaldson said, as gas prices sit near 10-year lows for the summer season. During the Independence Day weekend, for example, more than 1 million vehicles passed through tolls on Del. 1 and Interstate 95 near Newark – a three-year high – netting the state roughly $2.8 million in revenue.
Although more Delawareans appear to be taking weekend trips in vehicles, transit ridership to the beach is down. DART's seasonal express Route 305, which stops in Wilmington, Middletown, Dover and Rehoboth Beach, has had 32 percent fewer riders in 2016 than during the previous two years, according to data provided by the transit company.
There could be multiple factors contributing to the decrease in ridership, including low gas prices and increased fares, said Julie Theyerl, spokeswoman for DART. A rider traveling from Wilmington to Rehoboth will pay $16.50.
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Congestion from the Delaware State Fair, also going on this weekend, likely will be localized to the town of Harrington, said Donaldson, and will be most pronounced during the late evening when the fair closes
Drivers can monitor the traffic section of Delawareonline.com to view a map with live conditions provided by DelDOT traffic data.
"Use our information," Donaldson said, "you'll know when to travel."
Contact Karl Baker at (302) 324-2329 or kbaker@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @kbaker6.