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Record of Decision (ROD)

On December 7, 2011, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) signed the Design Refinements Report. Based on their review of the document and appended information supporting the sixteen (16) design refinements to the Selected Alternative, they have determined that the Record of Decision (ROD) issued April 30, 2008 remains valid and that the design refinements will not result in significant change in socioeconomic, cultural or natural resources impacts as previously approved. In making their determination they have concluded that Section 4(f) does not apply to the C&D Canal property and the historic Armstrong-Walker House property. They also determined that no additional noise analysis is required. [Design Refinements Report Approval Letter]

On April 30, 2008, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) signed the Record of Decision (ROD) approving the Green North + Spur Road as the selected alternative for new US 301. The signing of the ROD by FHWA allows DelDOT to move forward to the next phases of the project including property acquisitions and final design. [press release]

The Selected Alternative, Green North + Spur Road, will provide a new four lane tolled US 301 (2 lanes in each direction) limited access roadway on new location, extending generally northward from the Maryland/Delaware state line, west of Middletown, to the vicinity of Armstrong Corner Road, where the new US 301 mainline will curve and extend northeast, crossing over existing US 301, the Norfolk Southern Railroad, and existing SR 896 (Boyds Corner Road) before curving and extending east and tying into SR 1, north of the Biddles Corner Toll Plaza and south of the CD Canal.

Near Armstrong Corner Road, a two-lane (one lane in each direction), limited access, tolled Spur Road will extend north from new US 301, on new location to interchange with SR 15/SR 896 south of Summit Bridge and the C&D Canal.

New US 301 will provide interchanges with: Levels Road, existing US 301 north of Armstrong Corner Road, Jamison Corner Road, and SR 1 north of the Biddles Toll Plaza and south of the C&D Canal. The Spur Road will provide interchanges with new US 301 near Armstrong Corner Road and SR 896/Bethel Church Road extended (toll-free), south of Summit Bridge.

The project is described in greater detail in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), approved November 30, 2007 and issued on December 14, 2007 and in the ROD.

Approval of the ROD was preceded by the WILMAPCO Council approval of amendments to the Long Range Regional Transportation Plan (RTP-2030), the 2008-2011 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP), the draft 2009-2012 TIP, and the updated regional air quality conformity analysis, to include the US 301 project. In addition, FHWA, the Federal Transit Administration and the United States Environmental Protection Agency concurred in the updated regional air quality analysis and FHWA approved the revised State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). These approvals were required prior to FHWA's execution of the ROD, which is the final FHWA approval of the Green North + Spur Road selected alternative.