DOVER — The Department of Transportation has plans to extend Crawford Carroll Avenue about 2,000 feet, connecting it with Del. 13 and across the street from a realigned entrance to the Dover mall.
Currently, Crawford Carroll Avenue runs from Scarborough Road and behind several businesses located in north Dover off U.S. 13. It passes the Greens at Cedar Creek Apartments, cuts between Sam’s Club and the Hampton Inn and terminates at West Rustic Lane, next to Lowe’s.
Under the project plan, the road would be shifted to allow safer pedestrians crossings. It also would reduce traffic on U.S. 13 and grant easier access to the mall for drivers traveling from the north or west.
The plan to connect Crawford Carroll Avenue to U.S. 13 is several years away, but has moved to the top of the Dover/Kent County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s list. (Delaware State News/Dave Chambers)
A portion of Crawford Carroll Avenue would meet up with a yet-to-be-developed path running either in front of or behind Delaware State University.
“Currently in our discussion with them it would just be like a multi-use path connection” for bikes and pedestrians, said DelDOT project manager John Gaines.
Construction on the road connector is still far off, with four years of preliminary engineering and right-of-way acquisition planned before the groundbreaking in fiscal year 2020, although the preparation could take less time than anticipated.
In addition to the new road segment, the entrance to the Dover Mall also would be adjusted. Currently a slight curve, it would be straightened out to allow it to line up with the extended Crawford Carroll Avenue.
That would be done as part of renovations to the mall and would be paid for by mall ownership.
The road extension was ranked first on the Dover/Kent County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s list of projects, which the MPO Council approved earlier this month. It previously had been the group’s third-highest priority.
It was added to DelDOT’s Capital Transportation Program last year.
According to the transportation program, it costs $3.6 million in total, with 80 percent of the funding coming from the federal government. A total of $200,000 would go to preliminary engineering, $1.2 million would go to right-of-way acquisition and $2.2 million would go to construction.
The project was included in a 2007 study of U.S. 13 and a 2008 analysis of north Dover.