Could Delaware get another trail? Slaughter Beach and Milford are looking at a way to build a safer passage between their two towns.
Slaughter Beach and Milford hosted visitors from Main Street America last month with a goal of building a safer passage between the two towns across Route 1 for pedestrians, cyclists, and mobility restricted riders.
It’s a priority because going in and out of Slaughter Beach via Cedar Beach Road can be dangerous for cyclists.
Slaughter Beach Mayor Bob Wood says residents tell him about their near crashes with bicyclists.
Wood notes they have a grant to devise a trail plan, but more work is needed to advance past the planning stage.
"We've got to come up with a grant to actually do the work - the physical work of actually putting the path in - we got the permission to do it. We've got an engineering plan we're working on, and everything else that goes with that,” said Wood. “The path would go by a bunch of farms, you've got to talk to those guys, you've got to do all of that. I think we'd be okay there, but we don't have shovel one ready, yet."
Wood notes many residents go into Milford for everyday things, and this would also open up for Milford residents who want to take day trips to the beach or just for exercise.
He says the goal is to deliver a safer way to and from Milford than Cedar Beach Road offers.
"Right now that road is really curvy and several people have said, 'I almost hit somebody riding a bike going out that road' One of the biggest things here that we're really trying to explain is a lot of this is really about safety," said Wood.
Wood adds Milford has been a wonderful partner in this process - acting as a “big brother” in trying to move things along, and he looks forward to working with Milford officials on this project.
