Lewes railroad swing bridge future still unknown

With a deadline quickly approaching, the Lewes Junction Railroad and Bridge Association is scrambling to find a new home for the historic railroad swing bridge in the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. 

The latest idea is to move the bridge to Great Marsh Park off New Road, home to the Lewes Unleashed Dog Park and the Lewes Community Garden.

The idea went before the city’s parks and recreation commission Dec. 16, when the group supported preservation of the bridge. Parks and Rec Chair Alison Kirk said the commission passed a motion to study the concept and feasibility of putting the bridge in Great Marsh Park. “This is not a absolute final approval to put it in Great Marsh Park, but that parks & recreation will study and look at the bridge and if it will fit into the master plan of the park,” she said.

Parks and rec is in the midst of working on a master plan, she said.

Previously presented ideas involving city and state property have been scrapped due to concerns over maintenance and liability. 

Department of Transportation officials said they ideally want to know the bridge has a willing recipient by the end of the year so the state can move forward with plans to remove the structure next fall. 

If no site can be found, DelDOT Chief of Bridges and Structures Jason Hastings said, the likely result will be preservation through photographs, and the bridge will be removed and scrapped. 

Gary Wray of the Lewes Junction Railroad and Bridge Association said he’s happy with how the commission reacted to the Great Marsh Park idea.

“This bridge has served us for over 100 years,” he said. “It now needs our help. I was there to ask for that help. I think that really resonated with them.”

The bridge was built in 1916. The bridge served the menhaden fish factory, Cape Henlopen State Park, Fort Miles and, more recently, SPI Pharma. 

The railroad from Cool Spring to Lewes was decommissioned in 2017 after it was discovered it had dropped 7 to 8 inches due to settlement of the structure in the canal below. Significant erosion has taken place in the canal bank around the bridge structure, which DelDOT believes will be remedied with the removal of the bridge. 

Once the bridge is removed, DelDOT Director of Community Relations C.R. McLeod said, the shoreline will be replaced with rip rap.

Saving the bridge is only one goal of the Lewes Junction Railroad and Bridge Association. The group also has plans to procure several railroad cars, including an engine, passenger car and caboose, and relocate them to a 210-foot section of track between the Lewes Public Library and the Lewes History Museum. Due to interest from the group, DelDOT left the small section of track in place when removing the railroad in 2018.

The railroad cars would be part of a larger outdoor museum aimed at honoring Lewes’ nearly 150-year railroad history, ending Dec. 15, 2017, when the last train left town.