Transportation
News from the Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO)
June 2015
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WILMAPCO Meetings
All meetings are open to the public. Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held in the WILMAPCO Conference Room.
In case of inclement weather, please call (302) 737-6205, or toll free from Cecil County at (888) 808-7088 for cancellations or postponements.
June 8, 10 a.m.
June 11, 10 a.m.
June 11, 1 p.m.
June 15, 7 p.m.
June 18, 10 a.m.
Other Events
Glasgow Avenue Planning Study -
Community Meeting
June 10, 5:30 - 8 p.m., Hodgson Vo-Tech High School, 2575 Glasgow Ave., Newark
SR 141 Transportation and Land Use Plan -
Public Information Session
June 17, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Alexis I du Pont HS, 50 Hillside Rd., Wilmington
Delmarva Freight Summit
June 24, 8:30 a.m. - Noon
Dover Downs Hotel and Casino
Fourth Street Walkable Community Workshop
June 24, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.,
Westside Family Healthcare, 1802 W. 4th Street, Wilmington
For updates or more information on upcoming WILMAPCO meetings, please visit www.wilmapco.org.
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| In this issue... |
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Member Agency News
Local News
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WILMAPCO News
 Glasgow Avenue Planning Study - Community Meeting
WILMAPCO, DelDOT, and New Castle County have begun a year-long transportation and land use study for Glasgow Avenue, between US 40 and SR 896/Porter Road (about 1.3 miles). The study is intended to create a "Main Street" vision plan to guide transportation improvements and land use along Glasgow Avenue. A Community Meeting is being held on Wednesday, June 10, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., at Hodgson Vo-Tech High School, 2575 Glasgow Ave., in Newark. There will be a presentation at 6 and 7 p.m. During the meeting attendees will have the opportunity to speak with the project team and provide input on alternatives and ideas for achieving the Main Street vision on Glasgow Avenue. To learn more, please visit
www.wilmapco.org/glasgow.
SR 141 Transportation and Land use Plan - Public Information Session
New Castle County Department of Land Use, DelDOT and WILMAPCO have kicked off a planning study about the future of transportation and land use development in the Route 141 corridor. The outcome of the study will be a consensus based plan that will guide transportation and land use policy for the next twenty years. A Public Information Session will be held on Wednesday, June 17, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Alexis I du Pont HS, 50 Hillside Rd., in Wilmington. There will be a presentation at 5:45, 6:45 and 7:45 p.m. During the information session, attendees will have the opportunity to meet the project team, share experiences, and discuss how the SR 141 corridor should look and function in the future. To learn more, please visit,
www.wilmapco.org/141.
Delmarva Freight Summit
The Delmarva Freight Summit will be held on Wednesday, June 24 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Dover Downs Hotel and Casino in Dover. Speakers from UPS and IHS Global will discuss Delmarva's agricultural supply chain in addition to other freight and logistics experts. To register, please visit www.wilmapco.org/delmarva.
Fourth Street Walkable Community Workshop
West Side Grows Together and the WILMAPCO invite you to a Walkable Community Workshop to help make 4th Street a safer, more attractive and pedestrian friendly place. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, June 24th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Westside Family Healthcare,1802 W. 4th Street in Wilmington. A Walkable Community Workshop is an interactive community workshop designed to bring together key stakeholders to focus on issues related to walkability.
To attend, please RSVP to Yolanda McCoy at (302) 658-4171 ext. 186 or by email at [email protected].
To learn more about the Walkable Communities program, please visit WILMAPCO's website at www.wilmapco.org/walkable.
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Member Agency News 
DelDOT Public Workshop - Industrial Track Trail
DelDOT is wrapping up design of Phase 3 of the New Castle Industrial Track Trail. When complete, this seven-mile trail will connect downtown Wilmington with Old New Castle. DelDOT has scheduled a public workshop to provide information about this project. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 2 from 4 to 7:00 p.m., at the DuPont Environmental Education Center in Wilmington. The workshop will be held in an open house format so participants can stop by any time between 4 and 7 p.m. to see updated plans and renderings and chat with the project team. For more information, please visit
www.deldot.gov/information/publicevents/publicworkshops/workshop.shtml?id=5780.
New Castle County Public Workshop - UDC
New Castle County is holding a second Public Workshop to seek public feedback on developing revisions for the Unified Development Code (UDC). The UDC contains the laws governing development in New Castle County. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, June 24 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Christiana Fire Hall. For more information, please visit
www.nccde.org/1067/UDC-Revisions.
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Local News
Ozone Season Begins!
According to the Air Quality Partnership, "As warmer weather approaches, so does the onset of ground-level ozone. High levels of ozone pose health risks for everyone, and large segments of the population are considered especially sensitive to air pollution. Fortunately, ozone levels are being monitored and the public can be alerted when levels become unhealthy. The Air Quality Partnership (AQP), a program of DVRPC, educates residents about the dangerous effects of ground-level ozone and provides air quality forecasts to the public. The AQP encourages actions to reduce air pollution, such as:
- Take transit or rideshare
- Don't top off your gas tank. Spillage adds two tons of pollution to the air each day
- Refuel at the end of the day. Ozone levels are highest in mid- to late-afternoon
- Be sure to clean out your trunk, since an extra 100 pounds reduces gas mileage by up to 2% and wastes fuel
- Trip-link when possible. Combining errands with your daily commute will save time, money, and the environment
To sign up for air quality alerts, visit www.airqualitypartnership.org.
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National News
Funding a Multimodal Transportation System
According to the Center for American Progress, "One of the most pervasive, durable, and detrimental myths in transportation policy is that highways pay for themselves, while public transportation does not. In reality, both modes require significant public subsidies, as user fees-such as fuel taxes and farebox revenues-cover only a portion of total costs. Research by the Center for American Progress shows that nearly 4 in 10 miles of interstate highway and other principal arterial roadways fail to generate enough in user fees to cover their long-term maintenance costs.
" For more information, please visit
www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2015/01/28/103825/advancing-a-multimodal-transportation-system-by-eliminating-funding-restrictions/.
Walkable Communities Generate Four Times Tax Revenue
According to a National Association of Realtors release, "Realtors from across the country gathered to learn about the importance and benefits of walkable urban communities during a panel organized by the REALTOR University Richard J. Rosenthal Center for Real Estate Studies. Residential walkable communities generate four times the tax revenue compared to regional and business malls, bringing more value to the area, according to panelists. Walkable urban regions in the U.S. have a 41 percent higher Gross Domestic Product over non-walkable regions, said Christopher Leinberger, professor at George Washington University School of Business and president of Locus, a national coalition of real estate developers and investors who advocate for sustainable, walkable urban development in metropolitan areas." For more information, please visit www.realtor.org/news-releases/2015/05/walkable-urban-places-are-the-future-of-real-estate-development.
Impact of Safe Routes to School Programs
According to the State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI), "The Impact of Safe Routes to School Programs on Walking and Biking research reviews highlights findings from studies conducted in several states and cities that have examined walking or biking rates, safety, and economic issues associated with Safe Routes to School. Key finding and recommendations:
- Actively commuting to and from school could improve mental and physical health
- SRTS has increased the number of students who walk or bike to and from school
- Unsafe routes make it harder for students to walk or bike to and from school. SRTS has made it safer for students to walk or bike to or from school
- SRTS can lower health care and transportation costs for school districts and families."
For more information, please visit www.ssti.us/2015/05/impact-of-safe-routes-to-school-programs-on-walking-and-biking-active-living-research-2015/.
Measure Your Carbon Footprint
Ever wonder how much of your daily activity - such as using electricity, driving a car, or disposing of waste - results in greenhouse gas emissions? Together, these emissions make up a household's carbon footprint. EPA's updated carbon footprint calculator estimates your footprint in three main areas: home energy, transportation and waste. Everyone's carbon footprint is different depending on their location, habits, and personal choices. Small actions add up; track your footprint and learn new ways you can reduce your impact. Calculate your footprint here: www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/.
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About Us
The Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO) is the regional transportation planning agency for New Castle County, Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland. As the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), WILMAPCO is charged with planning and coordinating transportation investments for the region based on federal policy, local input, technical analysis, and best practices. For more information, please visit our website at www.wilmapco.org.
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