Popular Delaware beach trail reopens early
The popular Junction & Breakwater trail between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach reopened Wednesday, a few days ahead of schedule.
A repair project forced the temporary closure of 2 miles between the two resort towns, effectively shuttering one leg of a 15-mile loop. Gordons Pond Trail remained opened.
Junction & Breakwater was closed starting July 11, but state officials did reopen it July 15-17 to accommodate weekend users. Thousands of people use the trail every day during the summer, some as a fitness workout, some to commute to jobs and some as a vacation activity.
Some users and residents questioned the timing of the work during the peak of the summer season. Among them was Rehoboth resident Walter Brittingham.
"I'm glad they were responsive to the people and got it back as soon as possible," he said.
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"We started receiving complaints from people who used the trail," said Carol Everhart, CEO of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce. Everhart said she reached out to park officials and "they responded ... I don't think we could have been more pleased" they had the repairs done quicker than planned.
Susan Moerschel, program manager for Delaware State Parks, said the timing was based on the availability of contractor George & Lynch Inc. Two other trails within Cape Henlopen State Park were repaired earlier this year after being damaged during a major coastal storm in late January.
The work on Junction & Breakwater included 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, Moerschel said.
"This is the first really big fix," she said.
Rough, exposed rocks make for a bumpy surface in several areas. The rocks are typically laid while the trail is being created and overlaid with a stone dust that creates a smooth surface and works for both bicyclists and pedestrian trail users, Moerschel said. Over time, the smooth surface layer wears away.
Junction & Breakwater and the Gordons Pond trails form a 15-mile network between the two coastal communities. The section between Gills Neck Road in Lewes and the Hawkseye community just beyond city limits remained open, but pedestrians and cyclists weren't able to use the trail to loop between the two cities because of the closed areas.
This trail restoration was paid for with an 80 percent grant from the Federal Recreational Trails Program through the Federal Highway Administration. The total cost: $85,000.
Reach Molly Murray at (302) 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @MollyMurraytnj.