Finishing the Wilmington – New Castle Bicycle Highway (DelDOT/DRBA Public Meeting)

WHAT: DelDOT/DRBA Public Information Meeting
Connecting Phase I and II of Wilmington – New Castle Industrial Track
WHEN: Monday, July 8, 2013
4 pm – 7 pm
WHERE: Howard J. Weston Community Center
1 Bassett Ave # 1 New Castle, DE 19720

After years of planning, effort and investment, a seven-mile long “bicycle highway”, the Wilmington-New Castle Industrial Track Greenway, which would connect the cities of Wilmington and New Castle, may be nearing completion. (Without this greenway, cycling between New Castle and Wilmington currently requires traveling along one of two high speed, high volume arterial roads: Route 9 or Route 13. From 2000 to 2008 there were 98 pedestrian crashes along these roadways. Sixty-nine were injured including 8 fatalities.)

Finishing the Wilmington-New Castle Greenway would not only increase safety for walkers and cyclists but would also boost tourism, economic activity and outdoor recreation. The Wilmington Riverfront and Market street, with its many businesses, restaurants, residences, train station, movie theater, minor league baseball stadium and art scene would suddenly be safely and easily accessible for bicycle commuters and visitors from the suburban communities to the south of Wilmington and from New Castle. Going in the other direction, the historic colonial capitol of Delaware, now the headquarters of Delaware’s only national monument, would become similarly accessible to visitors from Wilmington.

Finishing the Wilmington – New Castle Greenway is also one of those unusual opportunities in public life that serve multiple public priorities simultaneously.  This project will improve the health of people who use it to walk and bicycle, increase tourism at the Riverfront and New Castle, give a boost to economic development, reduce congestion, lower emissions, provide recreational opportunities and improve quality of life for Delawareans.

Phase I (~ 2 miles between New Castle and US13) and Phase II (another 2 miles from I295 to the Christina River) of the project are both complete, but not connected. Tunnels under US13 and I295 need to be opened, which is the subject of a DelDOT/Delaware River and Bay Authority public meeting TODAY (Monday). If you have an interest in seeing the Wilmington – New Castle Greenway completed in a timely fashion – or are just interested in information about when these underpasses will be opened – please consider attending this meeting.

RELATED:

• Wilmington-New Castle Greenway: It’s the red route

•  New Castle Industrial Track – Phase3 Feasibility Study (DelDOT)

• Archive of all past Bike Delaware articles on Industrial Track

• Like Lewis and Clark Reaching the Pacific Ocean

• Why are we hiding the Industrial Track Rail Trail?

• 1st Ever CMAQ-Funded Bike Project in Delaware History

• Coalition wins key support for rail trail

• Eight civic and business groups call for completion of Industrial Track