Delaware nonprofit working on new Sussex Co. pedestrian and bike bridge

SUSSEX CO., Del. – A Delaware nonprofit is sharing details about a new pedestrian and bike bridge that they’re hoping will be built over Route 9 in Sussex County.

The bridge would connect the Lewes to Georgetown Trail that currently passes through the intersection of Cool Spring Road and Route 9. The Sussex County Land Trust expects this to become a publicly funded project with private sector support.

They believe if this bridge is built it would help alleviate some traffic safety concerns and possibly make this trail system more of a destination as the area continues to grow. “In that area, you see a lot of the neighborhoods that have been recently connected by this expansion, they’re really using those trails so we would expect the same thing here. Folks nearby to be getting on this trail and maybe some people driving to this location to literally bike intro Rehoboth to Lewes, that whole trail network,” says Mark Chura, the Executive Director of the Sussex County Land Trust.

Chura says this project has not been easy because of challenges with utility poles in the area of the proposed bridge as well as height requirements for it.

As this project idea moves forward, the Sussex County Land Trust is planning to build a trail head facility at that intersection complete with restrooms and other bike related facilities. That facility should be finished by the end of 2021.