A view of the culvert on the east side of Concord Pike. (Courtesy of Wilmington Area Planning Council)
A pathway under Concord Pike for pedestrians and bicyclists is being considered as a way to break through the barrier between people who live on the eastern side of the busy and wide highway and the parks and trails on the west.
The Rocky Run Underpass, if built, would take advantage of an existing culvert, just south of the Widener University Delaware Law School on the east and a line of three hotels on the west.
The lure of nature on the west is strong. Brandywine Creek State Park has 933 acres of parkland and 14 miles of trails, and the adjacent Brandywine Valley section of First State National Historical Park has 1,300 acres and 23 miles of trails.
Of course, the pathway also would connect nearby residents to retailers, services and other facilities.
The Wilmington Area Planning Council in 2018 began leading the effort on long-range planning for the Concord Pike/U.S. 202 corridor, along with the Delaware Department of Transportation and the New Castle County Department of Land Use.
A Wilmington Area Planning Council map of the proposed pathway under Concord Pike.
Plans cover Concord Pike to the Pennsylvania line on the north, Interstate 95 on the south, the Brandywine on the west and Shipley, Grubb and Ebright roads on the east.
“Concord Pike is not a comfortable place to walk or bike,” the agency writes in the latest issue of its newsletter.
And those modes of transportation have received increasing attention in New Castle County from various government units.
A study that began this summer will assess the feasibility of closing one of the three cells in the culvert and creating a pathway for pedestrians and bicyclists.
An earlier report notes that the underpass would require blocking water from entering the pathway.
The pathway itself would have to meet Americans With Disabilities Act accessibility guidelines. Additional safety and security considerations include lighting, surveillance and the ability to handle bigger storms.
The newsletter also describes interest in improving the signage along the various park trails and extending the trail system to connect neighborhoods to these parks to “enable residents to enjoy these open spaces without needing to travel by car.”
Trails are also part of the plans for the redevelopment of the Brandywine Country Club.
