Junction & Breakwater trail to close for rehab

• The Junction & Breakwater Trail is closing weekdays until July 22.
• Crews are making improvements to two miles of the trail, which opened in 2003.
• The trail links Lewes and Rehoboth Beach.

A repair project is forcing the temporary closure of two miles of the Junction & Breakwater Trail between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. 

Closures are planned Monday through Friday and July 18 to July 22 to allow a contractor to move in heavy equipment and make repairs.

Plans include drainage improvements in low spots where puddles form, replacement of fine surface gravel that has washed away and repair of fencing damaged over time.

The trail opened in 2003, and this will be the first major restoration work, said Susan Moerschel, program manager for Delaware State Parks.

"This is the first really big fix," she said.

The work is being done now because it is when the contractor was available, she said.

In addition, coastal park officials are working through a series of repairs needed following a January nor'easter. The first of those trail repairs was completed in the spring to allow the reopening of the Gordons Pond Trail. Sections of that trail were washed out by the extreme high tides during the January storm. A second, storm-damaged trail in the park has also been fixed.

Some of the work on the Junction & Breakwater Trail is also required because of storm washouts.

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In several areas, rough, exposed rocks make for a bumpy surface. These rocks are typically laid while the trail is being created and then overlaid with a stone dust that creates a smooth surface that works for both bicyclists and pedestrian trail users, Moerschel said.

George & Lynch Inc. will do the work in two phases, allowing the trail to open for the weekend. But Moerschel said they have to close the trail over two weeks because heavy equipment will be used during the restoration. The stage one closure is July 11 through Friday, July 15. The second stage closure will be July 18 through July 22. The Gordons Pond Trail — a second link between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach remains open.

The two trails form a 15-mile network between the two coastal communities. The Junction & Breakwater Trail between Gills Neck Road in Lewes and the Hawkseye community just beyond the city limits will remain open, but pedestrians and cyclists won't be able to use the trail to link between the two cities because of the closed areas.

This trail restoration is being paid for with an 80-percent grant from the Federal Recreational Trails Program through the Federal Highway Administration. The total cost is $85,000.

Reach Molly Murray at (302) 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @MollyMurraytnj.