Georgetown, Del., Aug. 17, 2009: The effort to create a new historic route in Sussex County moves forward next month with the meeting of the Western Sussex Scenic and Historic Byway Advisory Committee, scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 17, 2009, at Seaford City Hall.

The advisory committee, a re-forming of a similar panel established in 2004, will help assist in the creation of a byway linking cultural sites in western Sussex County. The route designation would extend more than 22 miles in the area of the U.S. 13 corridor, snaking its way on existing back roads from Bridgeville through Seaford and Bethel to Laurel.

In March, County Council endorsed the concept to create a byway in hopes the proposed route would help connect historic locations while promoting tourism in the area.

The County’s sponsorship lays the foundation for an application to be made to the Delaware Department of Transportation, which must approve the byway designation. That application is expected to be submitted by March 2010. If DelDOT approves the plan, federal funds then will be sought to help draft a corridor management plan, a document which would identify ways to link and draw attention to historical landmarks along the route.

The advisory committee meeting is a forerunner to public hearings that will be scheduled at a later date. It is, however, open to the public. For more information, contact County Historic Preservation Planner Dan Parsons at (302) 856-6138 or visit the Western Sussex Scenic and Historic Highway website.

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