LEWES, Del.- Sussex County’s newest bike trail will be named after an avid cyclist: WBOC’s longtime owner Tom Draper.
On Tuesday, the Delaware Department of Transporation unveiled a rendering of a new kiosk that will be on Phase II of the Georgetown to Lewes trail. The kiosk will have multiple pictures of Draper and include a biography of his life, in addition to maps of the trail.
“He loved biking, a tragic thing happened that was related to bicycling,” says DelDOT’s planning Supervisor Anthony Aglio. “So this is the least, the minimum we could do for that.”
Aglio tells WBOC that when Phase II of the trail is complete, DelDOT will dedicate benches, bike racks, and a parking area after Draper as well. Phase II of the nearly 17 mile project stretches from Savannah Road to Minos Conaway Road, approximately 3.2 miles long.
Draper’s son Hank was at Tuesday’s ceremony and says having a safe bike trail would mean so much to his father, who was killed in in a bicycle accident that occurred in September 2017 outside of Milford.
“It’s become very dangerous around here with a lot of the development and the volume of people and traffic that didn’t use to exist,” he explains. “Accidents happen as we know and it’s nice to know there’s a safe place to ride your bike and enjoy being outside and exercising.”
Draper says the entire family is grateful for the dedication, an idea created by Tom Draper’s childhood friend and retired State Representative Harvey Kenton.
“Knowing Tom, if he was here today he'd say ‘Harvey, name it after someone else who is more important to me,’” Kenton tells WBOC. “But I think we did the right thing. I know we did. It's been a while coming but today is just the start of more of his legacy.”
At the ceremony Tuesday, many speakers praised the bipartisanship and enthusiasm of officials to get the project off the ground. Additionally, Lewes Mayor Ted Becker says the trail will showcase Sussex County’s agricultural beauty and Lewes’ military history, as the former railroad played a role in Cape Henlopen State Park’s Fort Miles.
Tuesday’s event also served as the official groundbreaking for Phase II of the Georgetown to Lewes trail, with construction beginning. DelDOT anticipates the 3.2 mile trail will be complete by Spring 2019.
