Smyrna times., 1922-02-22
WANT ROAD LINK To LEWES
AND REHOBOTH "SPEED UP"
PROSPECT OF FERRY TO JERSEY
AS WELL AS BOOM FOR LEWES
Sussex County Levy Court and State
Highway Commission Confer at
Meeting at Georgetown

Feeling the necessity of having the !
broken link to the improved highway
between Lewes and Harbeson con-
structed in order to give the people in
the far eastern section of lower Della
ware the advantage of better travel
ing facilities, delegation of business
men of Lewes, headed by Former Con-
gresham Hiram r. Burton, appeared
before the Delaware State Highway
Department and the Sussex County
Highway Improvement Commission
Tuesday and pointed out the advan-
tages and eXpediency of doing the
work this year. AS the road is one
in the lateral network running from
east to west in the county, it was
pointed out by the delegation that if
the road is built this year it will have
great bearing on the New Jersey
authorities and cause them to hasten
the plan for the establishment of
ferry between Lewes and Cape May.
Plans already have been made by the
State Highway Department to con-
struct this year the broken stretch be-
tween Cokesbury and Coverdale's
crossroads, on the George Bridge
vile route, and with the stretch be-
tween Harbeson and Lewes done, the
eastern and western sections of the
county would be connected with a mod
ern highway. Engineers will start the
survey today on the CokesburyCover-
dale crossroads stretch and the con-
tract will be let this spring. With
the establishment of ferry between
Cape May, N. j., and Lewes, it is con-
tended that person from New Jersey
after landing on the Delaware shore,
would be able to go to Virginia with
out having to get off an improved
road, since Maryland has connected
with the DUPONT road at the terminus
of the latter at the Delaware Mary
land line.
Another argument advanced is that
unless some action is taken within the
near future, that Ocean City, Md, is
going to get the jump on RehObOth as
a summer resort for residents in the
central and western parts of lower
Delaware because they will be able to
ride on an improved road the entire
distance, whereas, in going to Reno
both they have to go over dirt road.
Notwithstanding that last summer
there was a broken stretch between
! Selbyville, and Berlin, Md, it was a
/ noticeable fact that in the central part
! of Sussex county many of the resi-
dents travelled to Ocean City, Md. This
year road work in Sussex county will
not be carried on to the extent that it
was last, one reason being that at the
! last session of the Legislature, suffi-
cient appropriations were not made to
carry on the work on a large Gale.
At the meeting of the two High
way Commissions, it was pointed out
to the Lewes business men that as the
stretch for which they were contend
ing was a state aid project that funds
were not available, and would not be
unless an appropriation is made by
the Legislature in 1923. The Sussex
County Highway Improvement Com
mission, it is understood, could pro-
vide for it's share.
Among those of the Lewes delega-
tion who spoke at the meeting were:
Former Congressman Hiram R. Bur-
ton, Postmaster Napoleon B. Register
DIR. James Beebe, Robert Walton, Geo
Vickers and Thomas R. Ingram, cash
ier of the Sussex Trust Company
Chief Engineer C. Douglas Buck, for
mer Governor John G. Townsend, for
mer State Senators Oliver A. Newtor
and Charles w. Mitchell and County
Commissioners William E. Valiant
William H. Bookhammer and Rufus d
Lingo discussed the proposition as rep
resentatives of the State Highway De
partment and the Sussex County High
way Commission.
AS soon as funds are available ther'
is little doubt but that the route be
tween Georgetown and Lewes, at pres
ent terminating at Harbeson, will b.
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