The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announces that the new US 301 mainline has opened to traffic on Thursday, January 10, 2019.

The 14 mile-long US 301 mainline will improve safety and reducing congestion with the bypassing of 29 at-grade intersections, 18 of which are signalized, and numerous driveways with direct access to existing US 301. The existing US 301 will be converted to a local roadway, with truck restrictions in place except for local services.

“Opening the new US 301 to traffic is an important milestone in what has been a decades-long effort to address the safety and congestion issues created by the existing roadway,” said Governor John Carney. “This new road will only enhance our economic development efforts for businesses that are looking to grow and move their goods around Delaware and beyond as efficiently possible.”

State Representative Quinn Johnson added, “As a more than 20-year resident of Middletown, I’ve seen firsthand the growth that has and continues to take place in and around Middletown. The entire community will benefit from the reduction in truck traffic on local roads and the economic opportunities that arise from new companies looking to locate in this area.”

“When I was Governor, my administration identified the Route 301 corridor as an area of future high growth, and that is certainly what it has become,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper. “This highway project, funded by a federal government loan that I was proud to support, will improve safety for motorists and residents, reduce traffic and help bolster commerce through this booming area.”

“The construction of the new US 301 is an example of why our country needs to invest in our infrastructure. The construction of the road put hundreds of Delawareans from the building trades to work on a project that will help Delaware’s economy, reduce congestion, and improve road safety,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons. “I’m grateful to then Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx for providing a federal loan for this project, and I’m proud to have worked with our delegation to support federal funding for a project that will positively impact the entire First State. I look forward to celebrating its completion.”

“The U.S. 301 project and its all-electronic tolling system are a testament to smart planning and forward-looking infrastructure projects that ease congestion and boost our economy,” said Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. “This state-of-the-art roadway accounts for increases in our population and is an investment in our future that improves safety and mobility throughout the region.”

“I would like to thank our contractors and subcontractors who worked through one of the wettest construction seasons on record to move this project forward, and it is impressive that less than three years after groundbreaking we are now putting traffic on the new US 301,” said Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan. “Work will continue to complete the entire project in 2019, and we look forward to having a formal opening event to celebrate this project.”

The new US 301 mainline is the first road in Delaware to use all electronic tolling, and tolling is active with users paying via their E-ZPass or being billed in the mail. For two axle vehicles using E-ZPass and traveling the entire road, the toll is $4, and $5.60 for those without E-ZPass.

Ground was broken for the US 301 project on February 5, 2016. The project is partially funded by a $211 million U.S. Department of Transportation loan that will be paid back through toll collections on the highway. The total cost of the project, including land purchases and the maintenance of a reserve fund, is estimated at $636 million.

NEW CASTLE (January 10, 2019) – More than 500 people are expected to attend the 2019 LIFE Conference, the largest annual cross-disability conference in support of people with disabilities and their families, on Thursday, January 31, at Dover Downs Hotel and Conference Center.

The conference brings together people with disabilities, their families and professionals for educational and networking opportunities.  LIFE stands for Liberty and Independence For Everyone, and the conference addresses the topics of legislation, independence (through assistive technology), families and education.

The 21^st annual conference, put together by a coalition of Delaware organizations serving people with disabilities, runs from 8 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. Registration ($35-$95) is required. Conference participants can choose from 12 different workshops, with break times throughout the day to visit the dozens of conference exhibitors.

Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long and Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Cabinet Secretary for the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, are among those scheduled to make opening remarks.

“The LIFE Conference is a wonderful opportunity for Delawareans with disabilities to connect to the educational and occupational resources they need to live, work and participate as active members of the community,” Secretary Walker said. “For more than two decades, this conference has provided information, empowerment and inspiration to people with disabilities and their families. That is what makes the LIFE Conference one of the most important events on the calendar each year.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Rebecca Cokley, Director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress. Cokley is expected to give a state of the state on issues related to the disability community and share her thoughts on opportunities for positive change.

More details about the conference, including session descriptions, the schedule, and a link to the online registration form are available on the conference website, www.lifeconferencede.org.

DOVER – Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announced today the creation of a new permit program that establishes regulatory conditions for the sandblasting of outdoor water tanks to remove lead-based paint. Contractors often use sandblasting to remove paint from water tanks in preparation for repainting them. Effective immediately, all water tank sandblasting projects involving removal of lead paint are required to have an air quality permit from DNREC that will ensure sufficient containment measures are taken to prevent the release of lead paint chips into the environment.

The new sandblasting permit to be issued by DNREC’s Division of Air Quality also requires the tank owner to provide residents within 1,000 feet of a tank notification 30 days prior to any sandblasting activities.

“DNREC is committed to the proper management of sandblasting activities of outdoor water tanks to ensure no lead enters the environment, given the harm that lead exposure can cause,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “By implementing this new permit, DNREC will also increase public awareness of lead-containing water tank sandblasting projects in Delaware.”

For information on the permit, please visit DNREC’s website at de.gov/sandblasting or contact DNREC’s Division of Air Quality, at 302-739-9402.

According to the Division of Public Health, the largest source of potential lead exposure for Delaware residents is in homes constructed before 1978. To learn more about lead abatement strategies, please visit www.LeadSafeDelaware.org, or call the Division of Public Health’s Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at (302) 744-4546, ext. 4.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 4

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Op-ed by Governor John Carney

I was in Millsboro on Election Day, and in addition to greeting old friends as they went to the polls, I had an especially meaningful experience. A young man was walking nervously toward the fire station that doubled as his polling place. As I stuck out my hand to introduce myself, he said, “Do you know how this works?” I looked at him funny and he said, “I’m a first-time voter. I’ve never done this before.”

Fortunately, poll workers were able to tell him what he needed to know and he walked out a happy voter.

As Governor, I get to travel our state every day and talk to Delawareans from all walks of life.

Part of my job is to encourage more Delawareans – like that young man in Millsboro – to participate in our democratic process. To have their voices heard. And, most importantly, to vote in elections. We ought to make it as easy as possible, not harder, for eligible Delawareans to exercise their right to vote.

I hear all the reasons why Delawareans choose not to cast a ballot when the time comes:

Voting is inconvenient.

My vote doesn’t really matter.

Once elected, politicians do what they want, anyway.

Last November, in one of the most consequential midterm elections in memory, just over half of eligible Delawareans went to the polls. And that was considered a good turnout because only 36 percent voted in November 2014.

Even in the Presidential year of 2016, turnout was only 65 percent. That means that 35 percent of Delawareans didn’t help choose their President.

Far too many Delawareans are choosing not to exercise their right to vote – to engage the public officials they send to Washington or Dover.

That’s why – as we head back to Legislative Hall to begin the 150th General Assembly – I’m encouraging members of both political parties to support common sense reforms to our election laws that will get more Delawareans involved in discussions about their own future.

Put plainly, we should make it easier to cast a ballot.

First, we should pass legislation allowing same-day voter registration. Delawareans should not be prevented from voting because they did not register in time. All of our citizens have a fundamental right to vote – and allowing voters to register on Election Day is a sensible reform that could encourage more Delawareans to show up and vote.

It’s also important that we allow Delawareans more options about when to vote.

Last year, Representative David Bentz introduced legislation that would have allowed early voting at polling places up to 10 days before Election Day. I urge legislators to send that legislation to my desk this session.

More time to vote means fewer excuses to sit out an election. It also means reduced lines at polling places on Election Day. And early voting reduces the chance that bad weather or another unforeseen event will have an adverse effect on Election Day turnout.

There is additional legislation we should take a hard look at – reforms that would more seamlessly register voters at the Division of Motor Vehicles, move primary elections to coincide with presidential primary dates, and allow for no-excuse absentee voting. All three would make it easier for more Delawareans to participate.

Legislators like Representative Bentz, former Senator Margaret Rose Henry, Representative John Viola, Representative Earl Jaques, Representative Stephanie T. Bolden, and others already have been champions on this issue – and I look forward to working with all members of the General Assembly to make progress.

Throughout our country’s history, Americans have sacrificed to secure voting rights for women and African Americans. We have an obligation to build on that legacy by taking additional steps that will strengthen voter access for Delawareans and increase participation in our elections.

This should not be a partisan issue. Democrats and Republicans have an interest in getting more Delawareans to the polls.

Most importantly, we all have an interest in removing barriers to vote, and making sure all Delawareans are involved in our Democratic process.

We live in a small state where it’s common to run into your representatives at Wawa, in the grocery store, or your local Little League game.

We should also make it easier to have your voice heard at the ballot box.

Visit de.gov/votingreforms to support common sense voting reforms.

WILMINGTON – The eighth meeting of the Coastal Zone Conversion Permit Act Regulatory Advisory Committee (RAC) will be held at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 22, at the Delaware Technical Community College Orlando J. George Jr. Campus, Southeast Building, Conference Room A and B (1st Floor), 300 North Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. More information about the Jan. 22 RAC meeting, including the agenda, can be found on the state public meeting calendar at https://publicmeetings.delaware.gov/Meeting/61696.

Upcoming monthly CZCPA RAC meetings, each starting at 9 a.m., are scheduled for the following dates, locations, and times:
• Tuesday, Feb. 19, DNREC Lukens Drive Office, 391 Lukens Drive, New Castle DE 19720
• Tuesday, Mar. 12, Buena Vista Conference Center, 661 South DuPont Highway, New Castle, DE 19720
• Tuesday, Apr. 9, Buena Vista Conference Center, 661 South DuPont Highway, New Castle, DE 19720

All RAC meetings are open to the public. Information about future meetings also can be found on the Coastal Zone Conversion Permits webpage. For more information, the public can sign up for the Coastal Zone Conservation Permit Act listserv by sending a blank email to join-dnrec_coastal_zone@lists.state.de.us.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Vol. 49, No. 3

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