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"It is
so much different from what we gave out to the public that we
need added outreach," principal planner Heather Dunigan said.
The
planning council's directors were scheduled to give what was
expected to be routine approval to the three-year Transportation
Improvement Plan at their bimonthly meeting on Mar. 3. They
voted voted instead to table it until May after Robert Carver,
of DelDOT's finance department, told them the department is now
seeking General Assembly approval for $445 million worth of
capital spending in fiscal 2006, rather than the $647 million
originally proposed.
The
cuts are part of an overall reduction in state spending. DelDOT
spending still would top what is projected for the current
fiscal year.
Principal project apparently cut from the budget was the
beginning of construction of a new Concord Pike-Interstate 95
interchange. That would link with the Blue Ball highway project
now underway involving Concord Pike north of the interchange.
Other
Brandywine Hundred projects that probably will be delayed for at
least a year are installation of sidewalks along Marsh and Foulk
Roads and improvements at the Marsh Road-Washington Street
Extension intersection.
Also
shelved are the beginning of planning for extending Churchmans
Road through Delaware Park to Kirkwood Highway, improvement of
the Kirkwood Highway-Harmony Road and the Newport Pike-Limestone
Road intersections. Purchase of 68 buses for Delaware Transit
Corp. and relocation of its administrative office also appear to
be off the plate.
Carver
made his presentation orally and would not provide a list of the
projects and their respective costs. Dunigan said she received
information about the change on a computer disc just before the
meeting, adding that she has to "do an analysis of the changes"
before posting them on the council's Web site.
The
project listing in this article is based on a combination of
notes taken by Delaforum and by Tigist Zegeye, the planning
council's executive director.
Planning council directors did not discuss Carver's presentation
before voting unanimously to accept Dunigan's staff
recommendation to table the plan.
It is
likely, Dunigan said, that there will be a workshop-style meting
to solicit comments from the public before the directors act.
Zegeye
said that it is possible that the directors could vote to reject
the plan and that theoretically could result in cutting off
federal financial support for any transportation project in
Delaware. She agreed that is not likely to happen.
The
planning council is the designated agency in New Castle County
and Cecil County, Md., for providing the required public
approval of transportation plans.
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