Milton preps for Phase 2 of Rails to Trails

Milton officials are planning to extend the town’s Rails To Trails project from Federal Street to Lavinia Street, with an eye toward construction in June 2019.

Town Manager Kristy Rogers said the town has already conducted preliminary studies of the $1.2 million project and hopes to present the plan at a public hearing in August.

The town began feasibility studies of a trail route in July 2016. The first phase of the project went from Chestnut Street to Federal Street. Rogers said the $40,000 preliminary study was 80 percent funded by Delaware Department of Transportation - $32,000 - and 20 percent by the town - $8,000. Construction would be funded under a similar arrangement.

The Rails to Trails project is included in the town’s 2017 comprehensive development plan as a way of repurposing abandoned railway lines into pedestrian and bicycle paths. This second phase would build 1,600 feet of trail adding onto the 600 feet that have already been built. Councilman Charlie Fleetwood said the rail lines were used as recently as 25 years ago, bringing produce into the Draper King Cole Cannery that was operated at the current site of Dogfish Head brewery.

Mayor Ted Kanakos said Phase 1 of the project started at what was the old railway station at Chestnut Street. He said DelDOT has already begun clearing out the site for Phase 2 where the rails between Federal and Lavinia streets had become overgrown with vegetation, a process that will take nearly a year. In the meantime, Kanakos said, the town plans to put in new water mains to tie in mains from Federal Street to the Wagamons West Shores development.

Kanakos said the Rails to Trails project will help tie Wagamons West Shores to the town.

“It’s like a satellite. There’s not an umbilical cord that connects it. We want to bring them into town,” he said.

Kanakos said another part of the project is the rehabilitation of a railroad trestle along the route.

“The trestle has to be redone because there has to be a blacktop path and there has to be lighting,” he said. “The trestle is expensive to get that done and make it safe.”

Fleetwood said the town is seeking grant money from Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control for part of the town’s share, estimated to be around $200,000.