Bellevue Street gets upgrade in Dewey Beach

Thanks to a resident’s donation and the Town of Dewey Beach maintenance crew, the ocean end of Bellevue Street is now cleared of sand, and offers a bike rack and bench for beach-goers.

Town Manager Bill Zolper said a resident on the street asked about improving the condition of the street end, which was previously covered by sand spilling over from the dune. 

“Don [Richard, maintenance supervisor] came up with the idea to take the sand that comes onto the road and push it back out of the DNREC dune line and add a bike rack,” Zolper said.

The resident agreed to fund the three-day project, covering the cost of materials, labor and employees’ time, Zolper said. In spring, the maintenance crew will return to plant beach grass on the berm.

Other streets can also be outfitted with a retaining wall, bench and bike rack, but the town can’t pay for them from its budget, Zolper said.

“It will have to be done through donations,” Zolper said. “We hope people will ask for it, and we’ll make it happen. We think it looks pretty nice, and the folks on the street we’ve spoken with are very happy.”

Additional town projects are planned to increase safety on Bellevue, Zolper said, including the possible installation of a low speed bump in the middle of the street. 

Bike racks now occupy the place where two parking spaces used to be at Hammerheads, Zolper said. When cars were parked in those spaces, drivers had difficulty turning onto the street because many people gather on that corner to get ice cream at Vanderwendes, Zolper said. 

“It will make it a safer crosswalk and intersection,” Zolper said.

Small projects will continue on every street throughout the winter, Zolper said. On Chicago Street, used as the beach entrance for vehicles including the beach concessionaires, lifeguards and beach sweeper, sand will be moved out of the way to improve access, Zolper said. 

On the bayside, concrete came apart in a couple places on Bellevue after high flooding at the end of October, said Zolper, who is getting estimates to repair the street. Whenever possible, American Rescue Plan Act funds will be used to save money for infrastructure work, Zolper said.

For more information regarding a possible improvement project, call Dewey Beach Town Hall at 302-227-6363.