The News Journal from Wilmington, Delaware • Page A7

COVER STORY delawareonline.com JULY 14, 2013 SUNDAY NEWS JOURNAL A7 Traffic flows through the intersection of Kirkwood Highway and Limestone Road during the afternoon rush on June 14. william bretzgerthe news journal State: Years pass before construction starts HOW STORY WAS REPORTED The News Journal obtained a database of crashes from the state Department of Transportation via open-records requests. The database does not identify crash victims, but describes the collision type and location, as well as roadway conditions, property damage and the number of injuries or fatalities. The crash data includes only those incidents reported to police. The newspaper focused on intersections along roadways that carry the bulk of Delaware's traffic.

The News Journal adopted the methodology used by a transportation-planning agency called the Wilmington Area Planning Council, or WILMAPCO, which has ranked New Castle County intersections by crash rate since 2009 as part of a guide for prioritizing road work. The News Journal used this method to analyze crashes statewide. The analysis isolates crashes in and around the intersections, including turning and acceleration lanes. WILMAPCO calls this the "sphere of influence" around an intersection, which also captures commercial driveways and local roads dumping traffic into the crossflow. Each differs in traffic volume and geometry.

Where traffic counts aren't available, the analysis uses an estimate based on land use, demographics and historic traffic patterns. The News Journal found 185 intersections averaging 15 or more crashes a year. We scored each crossroads based on total crashes and injuries, also taking into account how busy an intersection is. That way, the newspaper could better compare intersections in rural areas with those along busy, suburban arteries. Kirkwood Hwy Del.

7, Stanton Del. 7 Del. 58, Stanton Del. 9 Memorial DriveWest Avenue near Wilmington Del. 7 Del.

273Christiana Bypass, Christiana Del. 4 Salem Church Road, Ogletown Del. 4 Del. 896South College Avenue, Newark Old Baltimore Pike Salem Church Road, Bear Del. 72Wrangle Hill Road Del.

71, Red Lion Del. 8Forrest Avenue Del. 15Saulsbury Road, Dover U.S. 113 Del. 14, Milford U.S.

113 Del. 18404, Georgetown U.S. 113 U.S. 9, Georgetown THE NEWS JOURNAL son, R-Milford, also asked DelDOT not to delay. "To me, it looked like a political move, rather than a move for public safety.

Hardly anyone uses that intersection there, versus heavier traffic at the Milford intersection," Simpson said. Bhatt said he'd try to NO GIMMICKS HONEST WORK for an HONEST PRICE DelDOT crews make safety improvements in Georgetown at the intersection of U.S. 9 and Race Street on June 20. gary emeighthe news journal DELAWARE'S DANGEROUS DOZEN The state's 12 most treacherous intersections, taking into consideration traffic volume and the number of reported accidents, 2010-2012. 52 Wilmington New Castle 135 these intersections chosen compare apples to The News Journal 185 intersections standard rate (crashes per million vehicles entering the intersection), scoring those with worse rates.

The top 12 at right, from north south. MORE ONLINE For an interactive Continued from Page A6 bumped up by a year the $9 million in funding for an overpass to carry Del. 30 over the highway. Construction began last fall. Richard J.

Argo of Re-hoboth Beach lost his wife, Doris, then 56, to a crash at the crossing in 1997. At that time, he urged the state to add a light or build an overpass, "so this wouldn't happen to anyone else," he said. Months later, crews installed a flashing red signal. "It is such a shame that it has taken 15 years and many more accidents for someone to finally get this done," Argo said. Political decisions Politics has also swayed whether one road project gets funded over another.

Lawmakers have long urged DelDOT to prioritize improvements benefiting their district or economic development. A group of citizens appealed to Secretary Shailen Bhatt this spring, urging him to push up funding for another overpass along Del. 1 across from DelDOT Secretary Shailen Bhatt in Milford Woods Haven. Two closely aligned crossovers -NE Front and 10th streets were the site of 31 crashes from 2010 through 2012, including 16 injury crashes and the fatality of a 15-year-old pedestrian. The state has envisioned an overpass at the site in some form since the 1960s.

Land set aside for the interchange became part of a land-lease deal and highway improvements engineered in 2006 for a liquor distributor with ties to former Gov. Ruth Ann Minner. The News Journal reported on the secret arrangement in a series of articles in 2010. Funding for the interchange was postponed again this year, delaying construction until at least Sat. 9 a -8pm Sun.

loam 5pm 302-368-5894 a 41 (72) KJ -A Newark (Jjp 40 Cale County Smyrna Dover Milford A Kent County (l) Sussex County Lewes TaTth Seaford Georgetown Laurel 2020. Emmett Venett, head of the Woods Haven Civic Association, says DelDOT instead green-lighted construction of an overpass project south of Frederica. That interchange would improve access to the regional sports complex planned on donated How were To apples, ranked by higher injury are to restore the Milford project's original schedule if DelDOT received an influx of new revenue in fiscal 2014. That didn't happen before the legislative session ended last month. "These projects are years putting them together," said Geoff Sund-strom, a DelDOT spokesman.

"We can have a spate of fatalities or injuries, but it doesn't mean we can necessarily flick a switch and suddenly go in and do a huge project like that." Bhatt hopes a new software program that DelDOT is testing will help prioritize projects based on the data, rather than subjective choices. "This will allow us to maintain the integrity of the transportation-planning and project-selection process," he said. The agency also says it's developing a systemic-based safety program to supplement its "spot" fixes. An example is a treatment for roadway curves to help prevent drivers from flying off the road in wet weather. "We know the type of roadway segments where those crashes occur, so let's do the same thing system-wide where we know there's a greater likelihood of a crash occurring," Weiser said.

YOUR OPINION Tell us what you think at delaware online.com Do you regularly travel through an intersection you find dangerous? YESTERDAY'S POLL RESULTS, B1 Local pressure Community feedback can help pinpoint hazards, but resistance from property owners can also stall projects. Real estate negotiations and permitting for wetlands or historic property are guaranteed delays. "It's a balancing act. You see a safety priority, you want to get it done," Sundstrom said. "Just because we see something as a safety concern, and we want to address it with an improvement, doesn't mean that businesses and community members are accustomed to the measure we want to take." The Alliance, a New Castle County civic group, has backed See CRASH, Page A8 Not RVs Call: (302) 414-0448 it 1 look at the full list, go to delawareonline.com intersections.

Kent County land nearby. "In comparison to the other intersections, that one is the least dangerous," Venett said. "What about the citizens here? What about the people who are going to the beach? DelDOT's role is to protect the public." State Sen. Gary Simp- l. DONATE YOUR CAR Farmers Market i 328-6651 Sunday's 10-2 rain or shine! Mechanical Contractors, Inc.

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