DelDOT offers plan for cyclists riding to Rehoboth Beach
How to get cyclists from the Junction Breakwater Trail into Rehoboth Beach is a problem that continues to plague city and Delaware Department of Transportation officials.
DelDOT has proposed holding a public hearing in December on a proposal that would extend the trail from Hebron Road onto Rehoboth Avenue Extended and into Rehoboth. The city commissioners agree on the proposal, but DelDOT wants to present the plans for public comment before finalizing its plan, but no date has been set.
“Not doing anything is not an option,” Mayor Sam Cooper said. “This is a good alternative.”
The proposal calls for cyclists to ride against traffic on Rehoboth Avenue Extended and to use the sidewalks on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal Bridge. DelDOT plans to finish the design by summer 2017 with construction in spring or fall of 2018.
The plans include narrowing the traffic lanes on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal Bridge to 12 feet, with 5-foot bike lanes on each side. The sidewalk on the westbound side of the bridge would be 10 feet wide, while on the eastbound side, the sidewalk would be 6 feet wide, said DelDOT engineer John Hermes. He said work along the bridge is planned for 2018.
Once into town, Hermes said the sidewalk along westbound Rehoboth Avenue would be extended from 6 feet to 10 feet, with arrows indicating the trail. He said there would also be a 4-foot bike lane along the westbound side of Rehoboth Avenue. The trail would veer off on Grove Street to Henlopen Avenue.
“It’s about providing access and safety into the city of Rehoboth,” Hermes said of the project. He said one of the goals was to avoid the traffic circle and Columbia Avenue. While it is not illegal to ride a bike in the Rehoboth Avenue traffic lanes, DelDOT officials want to discourage people from using Rehoboth and Columbia avenues because of concerns about rider safety.
Commissioner Stan Mills objected to the plan to allow bicycles to go both ways on the sidewalks and also questioned whether the city should allow bicycles to go on sidewalks.
“I can’t get beyond that. I think bicycles should be going with traffic,” he said. “I’m struggling with it. You can call it a trail if you want – it’s concrete. I can’t support this project yet.”
Commissioner Lorraine Zellers said, “I don’t like to see bicycles on the sidewalk, but this at least is direction. I would be in favor of it. It’s a safer alternative to what’s happening now. People don’t know what they are doing. It gets them off Rehoboth Avenue, which is a terrible street for bicycles. It’s not a perfect solution, but it is a good solution.”
Hermes said right now, bicyclists are riding three abreast in the roadway, or riding along the sidewalk with just a 6-foot bike lane. He said with the number of bicyclists in town increasing every year, and the proposed plan is the best use of the available roadway.
“The hope for this is that we’re defining areas as best we can,” he said.
Hermes said DelDOT went with this alternative after ruling out a plan that would have taken the trail through Grove Park. Taking the route through Grove Park met with resistance by the commissioners, who objected to forcing bikes to make a sharp turn off Rehoboth Avenue.
Hermes said DelDOT is proposing installing a kiosk and bike rack at the Grove Park parking lot that would provide bicycle maps and traffic information.
Commissioner Patrick Gossett said he would like to see a plan for increased lighting in the area, but Hermes said a new lighting system along the trail extension would be too expensive and the city already has lights at Grove Park. Gossett maintained that while he likes the plan, he would like to see more lighting in the park.
