Gov. John Carney defended a controversial DART decision to “ de-hub” buses converging on Wilmington’s Rodney Square in a wide-ranging Facebook Live discussion on Tuesday night
Carney held the event at the state’s Transportation Management Center near Smyrna. The center is capable of controlling stop lights and assisting in the dealing with traffic accidents and tie-ups.
Joining Carney was state Transportation, Secretary Jennifer Cohan.
Carney pointed to the loss of thousands of jobs around Rodney Square, an area that had long been criticized for idling buses and diesel fumes around the Delaware landmark.
“Our employment center needs to be successful. We need for Wilmington to be successful,” said Carney, who added that Rodney Square evolved into a bus hub that made the area less attractive to current and companies that might want to come to the city.
A new hub south of Rodney Square is now in the works, Carney said.
Carney and Cohan also thanked residents for expressing their views on the bus route change. A couple of routes were changed in response to public comments.
The DART decision has drawn criticism from some who claim that many DART riders are enduring long walks in reaching bus connections.
Other questions at the Facebook Live session ranged from the emergency bridge work on Route 141 in the New Castle area to traffic problems in fast-growing Sussex County.
Cohan said the state and the contractor are working hard to deal with the bridge work on the key route. She admitted that situation is “extremely frustrating” and pointed to the complexities of dealing with half-century-old roads and bridges in northern New Castle County.
Both the governor and transportation secretary reported that Sussex and Kent counties are getting a large chunk of state transportation improvement funding.
A variety of transportation choke points in Sussex were mentioned, including the increasingly congested Five Points area near Lewes.
Cohan said progress is being made in coming up with possible solutions for gridlock in the area that is becoming congested, even after the tourist season as more full-time residents move to coastal areas.
One question centered on what the state should do about litter along roads.
“It’s embarrassing,” Carney said of the dumping of trash south of the Canal and littering to the north. Cohan said DelDOT is stepping up collection efforts, but that its work is limited to right of ways.
Carney also said littering also makes the state less attractive to potential employers.
In response to other questions, Carney stated.
- Rail service from Smyrna would be expensive since fares cover only a portion of total costs of current commuter service.
- Regarding paying for transportation salaries out of the general fund, rather than the trust fund, Carney noted as a budget “purist, he preferred paying salaries out of the trust fund to avoid competition with other priorities, such as education. Republicans and some members of the business community have long pushed for moving transportation department salaries to the general fund.
In typical Facebook fashion, the event also featured random comments on everything from crime in Wilmington to assault weapons, the need for pay raises for state employees and the opioid crisis.
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