Milford/Slaughter Beach officials seek safer highway passage measures
Representatives from the Town of Slaughter Beach and the City of Milford hosted visitors from Main Street America for two days in January. The two communities share a goal of achieving safer passage across Route 1, the main thoroughfare to the beaches running north/south through the state and separating the two communities.
With a goal toward expanding safer passage for pedestrians, cyclists and mobility-restricted riders, the town and city representatives are working with the University of Delaware grant assistance program team to complete the application process, coordinate the site visit and manage all the steps required by the grant issuer, the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Knowing the goal and getting to completion will be a long task, all parties are deeply invested in improving access to the beach with its park facilities, and potential for education and understanding of the environment, along with the commerce and employment opportunities in the City of Milford.
The Milford/Slaughter Beach project would have a big impact in promoting use of Milford as a shopping/eating destination, and improving a safer crossing would help Slaughter Beach to remain a quiet beach community working to preserve and protect the natural environment while having more opportunities to educate regional residents about the Marvel Saltmarsh, Delaware Bay and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge – each offering diverse ecosystems and wildlife sanctuaries.
Participants in the two-day event included representatives from the Department of Transportation’s Delaware Byways, Rails to Trails, Rural Community Assistance Partnership, DuPont Nature Center, Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, Delaware Sea Grant, Delaware Greenways, University of Delaware Coastal Resilience Design Studio, Sussex Cyclists, Southern Delaware Tourism, Dover/Kent Metropolitan Planning Organization and Bike Delaware.
The Town of Slaughter Beach is a quiet waterfront community along the Delaware Bay coast at the northern tip of Sussex County. Home to the annual horseshoe crab spawning, the beach is a draw for birders, sunbathers and migrating birds including the endangered red knot. It’s bordered by the beautiful Delaware Bay and backing to Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge as well as the Marvel Saltmarsh Preserve, and residents take great pride in their stewardship of osprey nests and diamondback terrapins, and horseshoe crab preservation.
For more information, go to slaughterbeach.delaware.gov.
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