As part of an agreement with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to relocate its North American headquarters to the Wilmington, Delaware, area, the state agreed to build a transportation system to serve existing and projected traffic volumes, and preserve over 200 acres of nearby land as parkland.
The Approach
An unprecedented alliance between businesses, government, and the community helped create the Transportation and Recreational Master Plan through a series of working group meetings and public workshops. During the project, over 250 design alternatives were analyzed. A consensus was reached by coordinating frequent meetings with state, county, and local officials and a public advisory committee. As the project moves through construction phase, an extensive communication program continues keeping the public involved.
Part of the preferred alternative included over two miles of new local/park roadways. These roads were designed to accommodate local traffic, and to allow local traffic to circulate through the area without being forced to use the regional roadways. Local citizens were very interested in maintaining low travel speeds on these roadways. Several of the traffic calming techniques that were incorporated into the project include: narrow lanes, grass shoulders, curvilinear horizontal geometry, landscaping, and roundabouts.
The Result
This project is a shining example of how a comprehensive community involvement and partnership program has resulted in a livable plan that the community embraces.
The Blue Ball Properties project is the first Delaware project to integrate transportation, historic preservation, environmental, economic development and recreational planning goals and efforts.
Its success has resulted in several awards, including:
• One of "DelDOT's" Outstanding Special Projects (2004)
• Historic Preservation award for Weldin Plantation by New Castle County Historic Review Board (2004)
• Corporate Environmental Action award by Bucks County Audubon Society (2003)
• FHWA- Excellence in Highway Design(2006), Honorable mention for Project Development Process along with Environmental Protection and Enhancement
