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Almost 30 years ago, Rehoboth Beach Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Adele Vignola led a small group of local people down the recently abandoned Pennsylvania Railroad spur between Lewes and Rehoboth. The hike sparked an initiative to link the two coastal communities with a bicycle and pedestrian trail.
On Monday morning, private and public officials clipped a red ribbon with an oversized pair of ceremonial scissors to signal completion of that vision. Residents and visitors to the two towns, and from the various communities along the trail, can now travel on foot or bicycle between the two destinations without dealing with the congestion of Route 1.
The total length of the Junction-Breakwater Trail, from its Lewes end at the Gills Neck Road and Freeman Highway intersection, to the Rehoboth end at Hebron Road is about six miles. It takes its name from the first railroad line that linked the two communities in the mid-1800s.
The first 3.5-mile stretch of the trail, between Hebron Road and a former railroad trestle bridge at Wolfe Glade, opened in 2003. Plans for completion of the final 2.4-mile link went into high gear last winter as road work inside the Lingo and Townsend Associates’ Hawkseye development coincided with Delaware Department of Transportation’s desire to finish the trail for this summer, when heavy construction is making Route 1 even more hazardous than usual.
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary John Hughes shared the ribbon-cutting ceremonies with former state Rep. Roger Roy. Roy served on the Bond Bill Committee and was a steady supporter of the trail and funding for its completion. Hughes authorized allocation of $250,000 about one month ago to ensure a timely completion of the final link.
Hughes said he knows firsthand the importance of having a safe alternate route for bicyclists. “I’ve ridden bicycles for years and have been taken off Route 1 once in a helicopter and twice in ambulances as a result of biking accidents with vehicles. This is very important for these two communities. I also am very appreciative that the Townsend and Lingo families have partnered with us to make completion of this rail possible. This is a good example of how property development can be handled effectively and I credit the families for doing this one right.”
Ted Bishop, assistant planning director for DelDOT, also stressed the importance of the working relationship between the state and the developers. “We worked very closely with Paul Townsend to ensure a multi-modal transportation system between these communities. The interconnectivity of these developments is critical to getting around without having to go on the main roads. Now people can travel between Lewes and Rehoboth without getting into their cars and SUVs. Gills Neck Road out toward Freeman Highway will eventually become a tree-lined boulevard including the bikeway. The public-private partnership is key to all of this,” said Bishop.
“The private sector has been after us for years to get this done,” said Paul Townsend. “For 18 years, we’ve been trying to figure it out and eventually we were pushed to the point where we said we can make it happen. We will take the trail heading toward Freeman Highway to a paved surface this winter depending on how our work goes with the county.”
Charles Salkin, director of Delaware’s Division of Parks, credited many people with getting the trail completed. “Gov. Minner has had a passion for this trail from the time she was a state senator representing this area,” said Salkin. “And the last act of Rep. Roy when he was in the General Assembly was to make sure there was bond money for this. Former Rep. John Schroeder worked steadily on this initiative, and with Mark Chura, formerly of our division, helped realize the expansion of Cape Henlopen State Park, through its master plan, by 2,000 acres west of the canal. They knew that land was vital to protection of Cape Henlopen State Park and it also gave us the major corridor for this bike path.”
Paul Townsend stressed the importance of such a high visibility project. “We’re all so concerned – private and public bodies – about how all of this will impact the beautiful little town of Lewes next door. We don’t want these developments to be a detriment to the town, but complementary, like Henlopen Acres and North Shores are to Rehoboth Beach. That’s why we’re working so carefully with DelDOT. We will be pumping $2.5 million of private money into realignment and widening of Gills Neck Road out toward Freeman Highway, including a center turning lane so traffic will always be able to keep moving. For a long time, it was a time for agriculture for these lands. Now it’s a time for people and we want to do it right.”
Contact Dennis Forney at dnf@capegazette.com
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