A new transit center is now open in Lewes, making it a little easier for you to get to and from Delaware’s beaches.
Delaware state officials say the center is one way to help ease traffic woes near the beaches, especially during the summer. The center has 248 parking spaces, and DelDOT Secretary Jennifer Cohan said she believes it will making using public transit a more attractive option.
“The expectation is that this park and ride will be full all the time and that will be 250 cars less that we see from here down to the beach,” Cohan said.
The first phase of the Lewes Transit Center Park & Ride, featuring free parking, security cameras, bicycle racks and a repair station, is now complete. The state will add a large canopy with lighting this fall. The project was funded by a $5 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration.
Middletown resident Lew Morrison is one of the contractors who worked on the project. He sees it as something families - including his - can take advantage of when visiting the beaches. He has an 18-year-old daughter, who he said will visit the beach a lot this summer.
“I’d rather have her take the bus down here than her car. That saves wear and tear on her car plus potential other issues with the car, so I like her coming down that,” Morrison said. “I think it will work out well.”
The plan is to have the entire facility, including a three-bay maintenance facility hosting both gas and alternative fuel buses, completed by mid-2019.
The Lewes Transit Center is now providing service to and from the beaches on weekends. Later this month, it will join the daily beach bus service in operating from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.
Also starting this month, DART’s beach connection buses are running between Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach on weekends.
A one-way ticket from Wilmington to Rehoboth is $10.