Next trail work to start in county seat
Work on the next phase of the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail will take place in Georgetown. The existing trail extends from Gills Neck Road in Lewes to Cool Spring Road between Lewes and Harbeson.
The new trail section, costing just over $913,000, will start near the Georgetown Little League complex and Georgetown Apartments, and finish at Airport Road, and will also tie into the Georgetown Gateway project, which is under construction. Work on the trail will begin Tuesday, July 6.
Since the railroad is still in use, this phase will include construction of a 10-foot-wide, multiuse pathway on the north side of the existing tracks. The project will also include a connection to an existing trail network along Airport Road. Construction will also include paving, grading, fencing and site amenities. The contractor is Grassbusters Landscaping Company Inc.
Work is anticipated to be complete by early October, depending on weather conditions.
Bid documents will be prepared in July for another phase of the project starting from Cool Spring Road and Route 9 to Fisher Road. Work on that phase could start in the fall.
Phase 1 of the trail, from Gills Neck Road to Savannah Road, Lewes, opened in October 2016. Phase 2, from Savannah Road to Log Cabin Hill Road, Lewes, opened in June 2019. With additional funding, DelDOT officials were able to provide an extension of Phase 2 from Log Cabin Hill Road to Cool Spring Road and Route 9. That work was completed in May 2020.
When completed, the 17-mile trail will link Lewes and Georgetown, with access to the Junction & Breakwater Trail from Lewes to Rehoboth Beach, and from Lewes into Cape Henlopen State Park.
The popular trail follows the rail bed of the former Delaware Coast Line Railroad. After more than 140 years, rail service from Georgetown to Lewes was discontinued in December 2017 when it was determined the railroad swing bridge across the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal was not safe for rail traffic, and repairs were deemed too costly.
A multimillion-dollar project to remove the tracks and rail crossings, and rehabilitate the rail bed began in spring 2018 along the Lewes spur.
