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COLUMNISTS

Route 1 skyway and trails for walkers and cyclists: Wishful budget pork for Delaware

MIKE BERGER
DELMARVANOW CORRESPONDENT

Historically, and I use that word advisedly, Oct. 1 marks the beginning of a new fiscal year for the federal government. However, final approval of the Yearly Federal Income and Expenditure budget, commonly known as Y-Fie, has been postponed until December. 

Mike Berger

This interval provides a rare opportunity to delve into the specifics of the budget that Congress will consider at the end of this calendar year. 

What Delawarean pork, or rather coastal oysters and crabs, are hidden in the new budget? Could there be a proposal to turn a portion of our beloved Route 1 into a double decker highway by adding an upper level?  

Admittedly an expensive undertaking, the federal government would probably require a state matching grant of 10 percent for construction of the “Coastal Skyway.” No problem. Taking a page from the presidential playbook, we could argue that much of the traffic congestion is due to tourists from Pennsylvania and New Jersey and, therefore, those states will pay for the upper level.  

The exact length of the skyway would need to be determined, but the northern terminus ought to be located at the current intersection of Route 1 with Cave Neck Road. There, DelDOT could build an elaborate, inclined cloverleaf intersection accessing both the south and north sides of the skyway.  

Traffic along Route 1 in Rehoboth Beach.

Fortunately, there is sufficient acreage in that area for the necessary ramps. It is regrettable that this would effectively eliminate any possibility of building the Overbrook Town Center, with its 850,000 square feet of retail space, at that location. I guess that's the price one pays for progress.  

Unreliable sources indicate that Y-Fie 18 also will significantly increase the budget of the U.S. Department of Interior, including a provision to underwrite the expansion of local trail systems, such as those developed or proposed in coastal Delaware.

Unlike the unquestioned demand that creates summer parking spaces on Route 1, the number of people who actually use the existing trails here, while increasing, is open to debate.

Last February, a planner with DNREC indicated that they employ infrared devices to determine usage. These devices register any warm-blooded creature that happens along the trail. 

So, we can assume that the DNREC count includes a fair number of deer, foxes and raccoons. But rather than quibble about how many users are humanoid, let’s be magnanimous and grant those animals equal access to these paved paths, especially since they and their ancestors have struggled far longer than we without them.

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Currently, we have two significant, interlocking trails in the area — the Junction & Breakwater, which gets its name from a former railroad line, and the Gordons Pond Trail in Cape Henlopen State Park. Combined with town streets, they offer walkers and cyclists a 16-mile loop of hard-surfaced trails.

That number coincides with the name of a local microbrewery, 16 Mile, located in Georgetown, which will just happen to be the trailhead of the evolving Lewes-to-Georgetown trail. Coincidence? I think not.

Incidentally, these trails are part of a nationwide "Rails to Trails" movement which, contrary to public belief, is not shorthand for taking a train or trolley to a trailhead to undertake one's daily walk or ride. Rather, it refers to repurposing abandoned railroad rights-of-way to serve as trails for walkers and cyclists.  

Given that local trails are asked to support both types of locomotion, the adage "share the trail,” rather than “share the road,” becomes operative here. 

The Junction and Breakwater Trail stretches 6 miles from Rehoboth Beach to Lewes along an old railbed, providing a wide, flat trail that is suitable for many activities.

This is a necessary injunction given the dangerous practice of some would-be Tour de Shore contestants to whiz past walkers without sufficient warning. All these cyclists leave in their wake is a “swoosh,” much like the sound one’s cellphone makes when a text is sent on its way.  

As the number and extent of the trails increase, and they intersect with one another, we might need to create some new “rules of the trail” for their users.

We may want to consider making portions of them one-way, introducing traffic circles, and even erecting yield and stop signs. In fact, it may be advisable in some sections to separate walkers and cyclists by creating double decker trails.  

Mike Berger is a freelance writer and retired university administrator with a home in Lewes. Contact him at edadvice@comcast.net.