The first segment of the Commons Blvd Trail officially opens on Monday, October 2nd! New Castle County is holding the ribbon cutting at Creekwood Road, one end of the segment.

Come tag-along with us as we ride a close to 8 mile route from Wilmington on the JAM Trail (and off) to the ribbon cutting at Creekwood Road in New Castle!

Having helped fund the feasibility study, through a William Penn Foundation grant, we’re especially excited to see the progress on this impactful future trail connection! The trail is one of the focus projects of the Future Trails of Northern Delaware Coalition and with each new segment will increase access to schools, housing, employment and shopping. 

If you’re cycling with us to the ceremony, we’ll be leaving from the DuPont Environmental Education Center (1400 Delmarva Lane, Wilmington) at 8:15am sharp. There’s also an option to ride with Bike Delaware, who will be leading a group at the same time and a similar distance, from the New Castle Court House Museum (211 Delaware St., New Castle). No sign-ups required, just show up!

Come out and celebrate this new segment of trail with us on 10/2! 

Be sure to check it out next time you’re on the Jack Markell Trail!

Delaware – East Coast Greenway – Progress Update
Join us for a meet-up & learn about trail projects coming to Northern DE!

On Monday, August 28th at 6pm come out to join friends and partners of the East Coast Greenway in DE to hear about the latest progress on the Greenway’s Delaware section! 

This includes updates from DelDOT on closing the DE Route 4 sidepath gaps, the latest on the Claymont Station Trail, as well as other trail info from across the growing trail network in Northern Delaware.

While there will not be a food truck at the brewery, we will be providing light snacks and people are welcome to bring their own food as well. 

Please share this invitation with family, friends or others in Delaware who would be interested, and if you have any questions, please reach out to Daniel Paschall at daniel@greenway.org! 

The Southbridge Transportation Action Plan is a community driven plan that focuses on reducing traffic speeds and truck traffic, improving conditions for people biking and walking, and enhancing bus connectivity in Southbridge. The community is located in southern Wilmington.

Southbridge has long been identified by the Wilmington Area Planning Council as one of our region’s Environmental Justice (EJ) neighborhoods.  Like other EJ areas, Southbridge warrants special attention to support equity in the transportation planning process.

The Draft Southbridge Transportation Action Plan is available for public comment through August 6, 2023. View the plan at http://www.wilmapco.org/southbridge.

Comments on the Plan should be sent to Bill Swiatek at bswiatek@wilmapco.org.

The deadline for comments is August 6, 2023.

Date Posted: Thursday, June 29, 2023

Wilmington Loop Coalition
Date Posted: Thursday, July 6, 2023

The growing coalition of business, community and government leaders advocating for a continuous trail around and through the City of Wilmington heralded the announcement of federal funding for a new path that will connect the Town of Newport with the Jack A. Markell Trail in Wilmington.

The $23M grant to New Castle County enabling construction of an approximately 2-mile, ADA-accessible, shared-use trail from Newport to Wilmington makes possible the completion of a circular 16-mile path connecting jobs, schools, cultural institutions and state and national parks.

Advocates for the “Wilmington Loop” say plans for the Newport River Trail leaves a roughly 2.1-mile gap through the city’s East Side as a key critical link in completion of a transformational community thoroughfare for the state’s largest city and surrounding suburbs. This segment would connect the existing, hugely successful Brandywine and Christina River trails, creating a conduit for every neighborhood in and bordering the city to access resources and recreation safely and easily. (See red highlighted section in map on page 3 below and detailed Wilmington section map on page 4.)

“This is an exciting and important step in completion of the Loop,” said Scott Johnson, a businessman and leader of WiLCO – the Wilmington Loop Coalition. “A trail connecting East Side residents with the beauty, fun and practical value of the Brandywine and Christina trails is long overdue, and it is an essential missing link in a trail that will be a game changer for Delaware’s economy and quality of life, and we need to get it done.”

“The immense value of community trails here in Delaware and across the country – from an economic, environmental and public health standpoint – is clear, and we are delighted to see this funding for the Newport River Trail and thankful to our Congressional delegation, Gov. Carney and County Executive Meyer for their support,” said Mary Roth, executive director of Delaware Greenways. “We are looking forward to continuing to work with state and city leaders to make that critical connection a reality.”

“We often joke about how connected we all are and the limited degrees of separation in our city of 70,000 and state of one million,” said Logan S. Herring, Sr., CEO of the WRK Group. “However, these blurred lines come into focus as it pertains to access and opportunity, and I see these barriers clearly everyday working in Riverside and Northeast Wilmington – barriers to jobs, education, and community resources. By connecting the Wilmington Loop through the city, we can help make the promise of true community connectivity a reality.”

“The city is pleased to be part of a wonderful project being led by the Wilmington Loop Coalition,” said Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki. “This initiative has picked up encouraging momentum and the city supports the effort to create numerous outdoor recreational opportunities to explore our great city as well as beautiful neighboring environs. Congratulations to all who see the tremendous value in the completion of the Loop.”

Read the entire Press Release, which includes referenced maps (also shown at right), further details on the Loop and the Coalition.

WiLCO Contacts:

Mary Roth, Delaware Greenways: mroth@delawaregreenways.org

Scott Johnson, WiLCO: sjohnson@jcomre.com

Michael Fleming, Delaware Bio: michael.fleming@delawarebio.org

This location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Persons who require auxiliary aids and services such as qualified interpreters are requested to contact DelDOT by phone at 1-800-652-5600 or by mail to DelDOT Community Relations, P.O. Box 778, Dover, DE 19903 one week in advance.