Community Planning in Southbridge, Wilmington

Recent Headlines

2006 South Wilmington Neighborhood Plan Progress Report
Transportation Enhancement Program phase one & Repaving Project in Spring 2012
Southbridge Safe Routes to School Program a best practice in a low-income community

Introduction

The residential heart of industrial South Wilmington is the black, working-class neighborhood of Southbridge. Southbridge has long been identified by WILMAPCO as one of our region’s significant Environmental Justice (EJ) neighborhoods. Like other EJ areas, Southbridge warrants special attention to ensure equity in the transportation planning process.

Our involvement with the Southbridge began in 2005 with the development of its Neighborhood Plan. We were approached to help craft the Plan’s transportation section. Following its adoption, WILMAPCO conducted a Walkable Community Workshop to identify specific pedestrian needs. A list of projects (such as new crosswalks and fresh sidewalks) was created. A Traffic Circulation Study, funded by DNREC and WILMAPCO, was completed in 2008. This study maked several key recommendations to improve the multi-modal transportation network in Southbridge. Staff are today working with the South Wilmington Planning Network (SWPN) to implement these improvements. The Network is a partnership of over 30 agencies and the Southbridge community to improve the neighborhood’s quality of life.

Projects & Initiatives

South Wilmington Special Area Management Plan (SAMP)

The South Wilmington Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) is a cooperative effort to create a vision for the revitalization of South Wilmington. This SAMP is a “master” plan that coordinates the efforts of government entities and stakeholders in addressing social, economic, and environmental issues in a way consistent with the long-term vision for South Wilmington.

South Wilmington Neighborhood Plan (click to download)

In early 2012, the SWPN completed a Progress Report of the objectives within the Neighborhood Plan: PDF.

Southbridge Walkable Community Report

On a warm evening in September of 2006, WILMAPCO planners visited Southbridge to conduct a Walkable Community Workshop. Community residents joined the planners and, working together, dozens of pedestrian problems were identified. Broken stretches of sidewalk were discovered, along with unsafe intersection crossings and pockets of poor lighting.

A report was published outlining these trouble spots and, at the request of the community, WILMAPCO developed a neighborhood-level prioritization process to rank the proposed projects found in the report. The next steps will be to gather community feedback on our technical scoring process and then to develop local ownership/support to realize their implementation.

Residents joined planners to uncover pedestrian trouble spots

Southbrige Walkable Community Report (click to download)

Southbridge Circulation Study

Along with working towards improving pedestrian conditions, WILMAPCO conducted a Traffic Circulation Study in Southbridge. The study, funded by DNREC and WILMAPCO and completed by the firm RK&K, fully evaluates the future transportation needs of the community and makes recommendations.

After traffic modeling, field observation and the careful consideration of community feedback, five overall recommendations are made in the Southbridge Circulation Study. These are listed below, in no particular order of priority:

Implement streetscape enhancements and traffic-calming measures
Reduce truck traffic
Slow vehicular traffic
Improve public bus connections
Improve non-motorized safety and connections

Community involvement was a high priority throughout the development of the Southbridge Circulation Study. Three public meetings were held in coordination with the neighborhood’s active civic association. At the June 17, 2008, civic association meeting, Southbridge residents voted unanimously to approve the numbered recommendations summarized above.

In an era of financial uncertainty, prioritization of projects is important. After approving the study’s recommendations, community members prioritized them. Funding mechanisms to implement these projects vary. Many, such as re-routing bus routes and re-timing signals, can be completed free of charge by respective government agencies. Others, such as streetscape and traffic calming measures, require tapping creatively into funding streams. These include DelDOT’s Transportation Enhancement (TE) and Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Programs. WILMAPCO is taking the initiative in pursing these programs to realize the recommendations found in the Southbridge Circulation Study.

Southbridge Circulation Study (click to download)

Implementation Activities

Released in May 2009, the South Wilmington Signage Study aims to lighten the burden of truck traffic in Southbridge. It is an implementation piece of the Southbridge Circulation Study. Trucks create noise, safety and health concerns amongst residents. They have pointed to the area’s route signage network as lacking, leading to lost trucks in Southbridge. The South Wilmington Signage Study seeks to improve route signage while not compromising the area’s economic development. Some of the signs will be erected in the Spring of 2012, but many others await implementation.

South Wilmington Signage Study (click to download)

In another effort, WILMAPCO has formed a partnership with the Elbert-Palmer Elementary School, the Southbridge Civic Association, Nemours Health and Prevention Services, the City of Wilmington and DelDOT to develop a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program in Southbridge. The program offers $130,000 per-year infrastructural and educational grants to complete physical improvements. Several pedestrian improvement projects (click here for a map) were funded with this grant, the first phase of which should be fully completed by summer 2010. Most of these immediate-term projects are in close vicinity to the school and include: sidewalk replacements, curb ramps, striping of crosswalks, and numerous signage enhancements.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership has recognized this work as a top practice nationally. See more.

SRTS Selected Project Renderings (PDF)
SRTS Complete Project Design (PDF)

Sidewalk, Ramps and Pavement Marking Improvements: Claymont Street at A Street

We also have been working closely with the Southbridge Civic Association, DelDOT, the City of Wilmington and other agencies to develop a much larger Transportation Enhancements Project. This project involves traffic-calming and streetscape improvements along Heald Street, New Castle Avenue and A Street in Southbridge. The concept plan for the project includes elements of the Southbridge Environmental Enhancements Project in the Wilmington Urban Corridors Plan (click here to download), projects ineligible for SRTS funding, as well as other streetscape recommendations found in the Circulation Study. Local match funding for the project is being provided by local elected officials, the City of Wilmington and WILMAPCO. Implementation is expected in 2012.

TE Selected Project Renderings (PDF)
TE Draft Concept Plan (PDF)

The Environmental, Workforce and Economic Development Action Committee of the SWPN meets in November 2011.

Beyond the SRTS and TE programs, other transportation work being tackled by WILMAPCO and the SWPN includes:

Port Truck Parking Study to identify possible staging areas for trucks to combat ideling
Replace engines in local private fleets to reduce diesel emissions
Coordinate SR 9 and US 13 re-paving with TE program
Bus connection to the South Wilmington ShopRite (implementation in December 2012)
Support better pedestrian connections to the redevloped Wilmington Riverfront

If you have any questions about WILMAPCO’s involvement in Southbridge, or would like to join the South Wilmington Planning Network, please contact Bill Swiatek at 302-737-6205 or bswiatek@wilmapco.org.

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