Holts Landing State Park to receive major upgrade

If everything goes as planned, by the end of 2019, Holts Landing State Park’s Sea Hawk Trail will have received a major facelift.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control issued an invitation to bid Jan. 28 on a project that would add 1,300 feet of gravel trail, 655 feet of  boardwalk and add gravel to the existing 4,416 feet of trail.

Delaware State Parks Director Ray Bivens said the biggest thing this project does is close the trail’s loop by constructing a 600-foot-long boardwalk over a marsh, which connects the northeast portion of the trail with the northwest portion. He said the trail’s northern connector, which used to run along the beach on Indian River Bay, hasn’t been available for use for years. The remaining 55 feet of boardwalk will be installed along a portion of the trail that runs parallel to the park’s entrance road.

The majority of the new 1,300-foot-long section of trail will run along the southern edge of the park’s parking lot.

In addition to getting a new gravel top, some portions of the existing trail will be realigned. Bivens said this is done for a number of reasons, but mostly because it provides for more suitable terrain and it keeps trail users on the trail. The project also includes the construction of a 400-square-foot platform overlooking the marsh, which, he said, will be great for school trips.

When this whole project is done, Bivens said, this park will be another jewel in the cap of the Delaware State Parks system.

Gravelling the whole trail will make it more durable and provide accessibility to all folks. He said he likes to have at least one accessible trail in all the state’s parks.

Bivens said while construction is going on, DNREC staff will take the opportunity to thin invasive phragmites in the park’s marsh.

Using the creation of the Friends of Holts Landing State Park group as an example, Bivens said use of Holts Landing State Park has grown wildly over the past few years. He attributed the usage growth to continued development around the park.

A new playground is currently being installed at the park. He said this is being paid for with Community Transportation Funds from Senate Minority Leader Sen. Gerald Hocker, R-Ocean View, and Rep. Ronald Gray, R-Selbyville.

Bivens said the park may be closed periodically during construction, but only for short periods of time. Maybe an hour or two, when heavy machinery is moving, but nothing prolonged, he said.

Other than describing it as expensive, Bivens didn’t provide a specific estimated cost of the project, but he said a portion of the funding will come in the form of a federal grant from the Recreational Trails Program. He said the grant works on a dollar-for-dollar match.

According to the invitation to bid, there was a mandatory pre-bid meeting Feb. 7. All sealed bids were due to DNREC Feb. 27.

Bivens said he expects the contract to be awarded in March, with construction beginning in April. He said typically the contract length for a project of this nature is approximately six months, but he said there wasn’t a hard time frame.