Update: Milton drivers react to plans for four-way stops

MILTON, Del- An intersection that can be considered confusing in Milton could be changed. The City Council voted Monday evening to send a request to DelDOT to install stop signs on Chestnut Street at the Atlantic Street intersection. Just east of this point, Atlantic becomes Cave Neck Rd.

Currently, east and west traffic on Atlantic has a stop sign, but traffic on Chestnut Street does not. Drivers stopping in Atlantic may think those in Chestnut have the same requirements and might merge into oncoming traffic. While Chestnut drivers are often seen slowing down at the intersection, Atlantic drivers fear pulling their vehicles in front of them.

Jim Harrington of Milton thinks converting the intersection to a four-way stop is the safest solution to clearing up the confusion.

“You never really know who has priority and things change very quickly around here,” Harrington says. “There are a lot more people moving into the area.”

However, others think it would be safer to add lights.

“My biggest concern is the fact that this road is used a lot by fire vehicles,” said Helen Camenisch of Milton. “If they had lights here, they could press the little button and change the light, but they say there are a lot of problems with this 4-way stop. I haven’t seen many myself “I’ve seen a few accidents here, but it’s very crowded in the morning with the kids going to school.”

This is a traffic issue that has been debated for over a year. As of 2023, the Milton City Council has not ratified a four-way stop plan. Subsequent comments led the Council to consider asking DNREC to make this change at the intersection.

The council had previously said that if the application went ahead on Monday evening it would like the work to be completed by the end of May. Click here to view Milton’s official timeline for this process and application.