Small Town News

Region braces for 200,000 visitors

---

Heavy holiday traffic expected

With good weather predictions and large numbers of people staying close to home, Memorial Day weekend travel is expected to increase more than 5 percent over last year, according to Mid-Atlantic AAA.

That translates to clogged roads in the Cape Region, especially during key travel times such as Friday night and Saturday morning, May 28-29. More than 200,000 people are expected to visit the beach resorts this weekend, according to Carol Everhart, president and CEO of the Rehoboth Beach/Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Everhart said the area broke Memorial Day visitation records in 2008 and 2009. "Based on what I saw last weekend, we are looking strong and headed for another record breaker," she said.

Everhart said more than 6 million people visited the resort area last year.

On a busy weekend in early summer, about 112,000 people visit downtown Rehoboth Beach, 56,000 visit Dewey Beach and another 80,000 shop and eat along the Route 1 corridor.

In 2009, DelDOT traffic counts hit 86,000 vehicles on Saturday, May 23, on Route 1 north of Rehoboth Beach.

Everhart uses a formula based on traffic counts, subtracting out 35 percent for residents and multiplying the number by 1.2 persons per vehicle, which she calls an extremely conservative number.

AAA estimates during the holiday more than 352,000 vehicles will cross the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial (Bay) Bridge.

Although the number of people traveling is expected to increase, the average amount of money spent is expected to decrease by about $200 to around $800 per family, according to AAA.

To keep traffic moving, Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) will suspend all roadwork from noon Friday, May 28, until 6 a.m. Tuesday, June 1. DelDOT's transportation management center will be on high alert monitoring traffic throughout the weekend, said Tina Shockley, DelDOT spokeswoman. Real-time traffic information is available at WTMC-1380AM radio.

Bus transportation begins

DART First State will operate seven routes in the resort area serving Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island, Lewes, Georgetown, Long Neck and Ocean City, Md.

Transit service began Thursday, May 27, and operates seven days a week through Sunday, Sept. 19. Daily passes cost $2.10 or motorists can pay $7 at the Rehoboth Beach park and ride, off Route 1, and everyone in the vehicle gets a daily bus pass.

DART, in coordination with the Delaware River and Bay Authority Cape May-Lewes Ferry shuttle in Lewes, provides connections to the Rehoboth Beach park and ride.

The beach connection, linking Wilmington, Dover, Milford and Rehoboth Beach, operates Friday evenings, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays until Monday, Sept. 6. Stops include Rodney Square and the Amtrak station in Wilmington, Christiana Mall, Smyrna rest stop, Scarborough Road park and ride in Dover, Walmart in Milford and the Rehoboth Beach park and ride.





© 2010 Cape Gazette Lewes, Delaware. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

More from Cape Gazette