With completion of the Gordons Pond Trail in 2014, Rehoboth Beach became a critical link in the scenic 16-mile path that loops from Rehoboth to Lewes.
The trail became an instant attraction for walkers, runners, birdwatchers and cyclists.
It is puzzling, then, that the route of the trail from the Junction and Breakwater Trail – a much older trail, not the new one – into Rehoboth remains a conundrum.
The trail connects to Rehoboth via Hebron Road, Church Street and Rehoboth Avenue Ext., but it's on Rehoboth Avenue that the major problem arises: how can cars, pedestrians and cyclists moving in both directions all safely get over the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal bridge?
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control specialists want to create new bike lanes for cyclists entering and leaving Rehoboth and have also proposed allowing inbound cyclists to use the outbound sidewalk to ride into town so they won't have to cross Rehoboth Avenue.
This plan might work fine on a cold day in February, but it's not a safe plan for busy summer weekends.
Further, city officials have raised objections about how cyclists will proceed from the bridge into Rehoboth.
Crossing the canal is a critical link in one of Delaware's most beautiful bike trails, part of a state initiative that has boosted Delaware into the ranks of the top states nationwide for cycling.
But now state officials should finish what they started. They should look ahead to likely users not just in 2017, but in 2025 and 2030.
Why not build a separate, new pedestrian/cycling bridge over the canal connecting directly to Grove Park?
A new bridge would take cyclists off a congested road and drop them off in a safe spot offering restrooms and water. From there they could continue to the Gordons Pond Trail or make their way into downtown Rehoboth.
Completing the Gordons Pond trail was an investment in the future of tourism and the health of Delaware residents.
Building a safe, efficient pedestrian/cycling bridge would finish the deal.
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Editorials are considered and written by Cape Gazette Editorial Board members, including Publisher Chris Rausch, Editor Jen Ellingsworth, News Editor Nick Roth and reporters Ron MacArthur and Chris Flood.
