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Environment should come before sprawl around Townsend

Former state Transportation Secretary Anne Canby removed Del. 1 access ramps at Townsend from the department's priority list, and she was right. Current Secretary Nathan Hayward III's decision against them again is just as correct.

A ramp was on the original plans drawn in the 1980s, but a lot has changed since then. It was known that suburban development would boom south of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal once the north-south expressway was built. That certainly has happened.

But during the 1990s, the countervailing view was that development should be directed and controlled, and that infrastructure should precede construction. But it was too late to halt sprawl in much of southern New Castle County,

The state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control authorized far too many septic systems in the area. The state farmland protection program had insufficient funding to make a major impact. The Levels, one of the most fertile farm areas, was lost as Middletown's hunger for revenue drove annexation that state officials refused to stop.

Roads are one of the best ways to steer growth. Too many developers build houses and shopping centers without any regard to how residents and patrons will get there. Middletown is a textbook example of what can happen. Big houses are built on small lots along subdivision streets, but commuters and shoppers face inadequate roads beyond them. So it's a pain in the neck to get to work or shop.

Anne Canby's decision against Townsend ramps was an attempt to keep the area adjacent to Del. 1 from developing too fast. It was hoped that development would take place farther west in the Middletown area. And it did.

Now there is pressure from some people around Townsend area to get a ramp built after all. But others rightly argue that more must be done to protect the environment before any new ramps proceed.

Secretary Hayward told the General Assembly's Joint Finance Committee this week that he intended to keep the Townsend ramps on hold. He said they would add to Delaware's air pollution problems and accelerate sprawl east of Middletown. He noted that buying additional land and meeting environmental requirements could add up to $10 million to the project.

Sen. James T. Vaughn, the Smyrna Democrat who represents Townsend, wasn't buying this sound explanation. He said he didn't like the secretary's decision. The senator sides with those who have to drive up to Odessa or down to Smyrna to get onto Del. 1. That is an inconvenience, but the state's long-term environmental and economic viability trump minor irritations

Sen. Vaughn is a tough fighter with lots of wheeling and dealing experience. So is Secretary Hayward — especially when he's right.