WALKABLE, BIKEABLE DELAWARE

PROPOSAL TO THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT

May 20, 2011

Executive Summary

This proposal identifies three significant capital improvement opportunities forproviding increased walking and bicycling opportunities for Delawareans:

1) New Castle Industrial Track Greenway Final Phase ($600,000 tocomplete design and engineering)

2) Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Trail Connector ($250,000)3) Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail ($400,000 for design and $400,000 for

land acquisition)

Each of these projects has statewide significance and each would form a spinefor non-motorized transportation and recreation networks in their respectiveareas. All are eligible for federal matching programs (e.g. CongestionMitigation and Air Quality and/or Transportation Enhancements). Thesefederal programs will match state funds at a 4-to-1 ratio (80% federal and 20%state), which would mean that the total required state match for all threeprojects would be $330,000.

Background

Following a unanimous vote by the Delaware Senate two days earlier, the DelawareHouse also voted unanimously on May 12, 2011 to approve Senate ConcurrentResolution 13, which directs the Delaware Department of Transportation to "createcontiguous systems or networks of walkways and bikeways within and between cities andtowns in Delaware in order to provide travelers with the opportunity for safe, convenient,cost-effective and healthy transportation via walking and bicycling." Specifically, theResolution directs the Department of Transportation to “create multi-use paths forpedestrian and bicycle user travel within and between cities and towns in Delaware onindependent right-of-way outside of the right-of-way of existing roadways”.

New Castle Industrial Track Final Phase (Wilmington to New Castle)

After years of planning, effort and investment, a six-mile long “bicycle highway”between Wilmington and New Castle is only one mile away from completion. By closingthis small remaining gap, Delaware would complete a safe, direct, paved and nearlyuninterrupted non-motorized travel route between the downtown Wilmington Riverfront(which is also near Wilmington’s train station) and New Castle (with only a single at-

grade road crossing) along an independent right-of-way that became available when thePenn Central Railroad went bankrupt in the 1970s.

Considerable investment has already been made in the route so that now only this smallgap remains. The Wilmington Riverwalk currently extends over a mile south fromdowntown Wilmington towards the Russell Peterson Wildlife Refuge, where it terminatesin a dead-end. Similarly, Phase 1 of the New Castle Industrial Track Greenway was(built with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds in 2010) and Phase 2(funded by New Castle County) extends north from old New Castle to the southern edgeof the Cristina River. The remaining gap – which is the third and final phase of the NewCastle Industrial Track Greenway – is approximately one mile.

Currently, the only travel options between New Castle and Wilmington forbicyclists are two high speed, high volume arterial roads, Rt. 9 (4 travel lanes) andRt. 13 (8 travel lanes). These roads saw 98 pedestrian crashes, including 68 injury and 8fatality crashes, between 2000 and 2008. A motorized traffic-free, independent right-of-way “bicycle highway” alternative to these busy roads between Wilmington and NewCastle will hugely expand the pool of potential bicycle commuters in the area, whilesimultaneously offering an active transportation and recreation opportunity to all theadjacent communities along the route.

Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Trail

Congressman Castle secured $2.2M in federal earmarks for the C&D Canal Trail, whichwill be a 17 mile multi-use paved path connecting Delaware City to Chesapeake City.The project will be completed in phases on a schedule that may depend on the success ofDelaware’s congressional delegation at securing additional federal financing. Currentfederal financing, however, will be sufficient to at least partially complete a path betweenjust east of Delaware City and Lums Pond. To anchor the western end of the path inDelaware City, however, requires an additional connector to between the Trail’s westerntrailhead and Delaware City. This connector is a down payment on a path which, whencomplete, will be both a major regional attraction and

Georgetown-to-Lewes Trail

This proposed Georgetown-to-Lewes Trail is the premier current rail trail opportunity inSussex County, and would extend 17 miles between Georgetown and Lewes. In additionto connecting Georgetown to Lewes, it would expand access to the Junction andBreakwater Trail that already links Lewes and Rehoboth. More, it would advance andenormously strengthen Lewes’ current efforts to become Delaware’s 2nd official “bikefriendly” community. Tourism, especially to the beaches, is an important industry inDelaware. Because tourists who visit a beach destination tend to be interested in "active"recreation, safe, intuitive and fun bicycle routes have long been understood as critical forthe health of the tourism industry, both for attracting new visitors and encouragingprevious visitors to return. Such routes would also bring tourists into the countryside toenjoy parts of Delaware they would not otherwise visit.

New Castle Industrial Track Greenway Final Phase

Phase 1 of the New Castle Industrial Track Greenway

Both New Castle County and DelDOT support connecting the Riverwalk to theNew Castle Industrial Track. DELDOT has given permission and negotiated anarrangement with New Castle County for use of this state owned right-of-way.Further, the Riverwalk and the New Castle Industrial Track are planned to be partof the East Coast Greenway as it passes thru Delaware. Bike Delaware, theDelaware Bicycle Council and Delaware Greenways all strongly support thisproject. The WILMAPCO Council voted on July 15, 2010 to rank a feasibility studyof this project #1 in the TIP bike/ped category and DelDOT committed to fundingthe study. On August 19, 2010, Delaware’s entire congressional delegation alsodeclared its support for the project in a letter of support for a TIGER 2 grant.

Statements of Support from Stakeholders….…..

Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Trail

Artists Rendering of the C&D Canal Trail

Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Trail

Artists Rendering of the Georgetown-to-Lewes Trail