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 June 18, 2002--Getting around Newark and the University of Delaware on two wheels will soon be just a bit easier, thanks to a new 1.7-mile off-road bikeway that will connect the campus with several local communities.
The 6- to -12-foot wide pathway, scheduled for completion in the summer of 2003, will run north of the Amtrak corridor, from Apple Road near Phillips Park to just east of Library Avenue behind the Delaware Technology Park.
Roy Lopata, city of Newark planning director, described the$1.5-million project, recently approved by City Council, as a joint effort between UD and the city.
“We have been working on this since 1997 with members of the Newark Bicycle Committee,” Lopata said. “We have always thought that Newark, the bicycle capital of Delaware, should have something like this.”
The 15-member Newark Bicycle Committee is composed of area residents and members of the UD community, including co-chairpersons Willett Kempton, an associate professor of marine studies, and Jerome Lewis, director of the Institute for Public Administration.
Other UD community members serving on the committee include: Cindy Genau, extension agent II in Cooperative Extension, Gerald Kauffman, water resources engineer, Water Resources Agency; Rick Armitage, director of government relations; James Grimes, senior assistant director of public safety; Lisa Morland, policy specialist II, Institute for Public Administration; and UD student Marissa Mercadante, AS2002.
“It was great working with the city of Newark staff who are dedicated and very sharp,” Willett Kempton said. “We had great support from Mayor Hal Goodwin and City Council.”
Planning began in 1996, when the Newark Area Bicycle Interim Report was completed by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO). Initial goals were to compile information about existing bicycle conditions in the city of Newark and the surrounding area, and to propose preliminary recommendations for improvements in bicycle safety and infrastructure, including a network of connecting bicycle pathways.
“Our goals were to develop safe bicycling facilities and safe bicycling practices in Newark,” Kempton said. “We also wanted to provide an alternative to motor vehicles as a means of transportation.”
Construction of the bikeway by Merit Construction of Wilmington will begin in July.
Lopata said the bikeway, when completed, will help foster a safe and convenient east-west access across route the city, including the UD campus, for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Funding for the $1.5 million project is provided by DelDOT and a $200,000 grant from the Delaware Land and Conservation Trust Fund, Lopata said.
The city of Newark and UD set aside about four acres and two acres respectively, for the project.
Communities and businesses linked to UD by the bikeway include Binns, Devon, Ivy Hall Apartments, School Lane Apartments and the College Square Shopping Center.
The bikeway will be accessible at several locations, Lopata noted, including Bradford Lane and Apple Road, South College Avenue, Chapel Street and Wyoming Road.
Matt Goudy, an engineer from Pennoni Associates Inc. in Wilmington, the design firm for the project, said that the undertaking required close coordination between Pennoni and all the involved agencies and surrounding property owners, including UD and the city of Newark.
“It was a great experience working with the city of Newark and the Newark Bicycle Committee,” Goudy said. “These organizations were very helpful with the timely completion of the design and contract award.”
Goudy said, “Projects like this provide pedestrian access to parks and other recreational facilities. They also provide safe pedestrian movement to these areas by avoiding roadway traffic.”
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