The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program has awarded $44 million to support two significant trail improvement projects by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and New Castle County.

• $23 million to New Castle County for the construction of a 2-mile, ADA-accessible, shared-use path connection between the Town of Newport and the Jack A. Markell Trail in Wilmington.

• $21 million to DelDOT for the construction of the final phase of a 17-mile multi-use, off-alignment path connecting Georgetown to Lewes. The final phase includes the installation of approximately 6 miles of a 10-foot to 12-foot-wide shared-use path along the railroad corridor.

”We are beyond thrilled to be selected for this RAISE grant,” said New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect communities, encourage healthy lifestyles, and further enjoy our nationally recognized bike and walking trail systems in Delaware. I am especially thankful to our federal delegation for their advocacy for this project.”

The New Castle County Executive also issued a thank you to many community groups with White Clay Bicycle Club among those listed.