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Songsmith/Waterford Pedestrian Improvements. New Castle County, Delaware.

WRA designed pedestrian and bicycle improvements along Songsmith Drive in Bear, Delaware, along with a pedestrian connection and enhanced transit stop for the community of Waterford.

Songsmith Drive is a main street through a residential community of mixed but generally high suburban densities. However, the street is 36 feet wide and did not include any accommodations for walking and bicycling. WRA developed a plan to retrofit sidewalk and bike lanes along the corridor. Upon completion, significant increases in pedestrian activity and decreases in motor vehicle speeds were observed, indicating that the project enhanced pedestrian comfort and therefore community livability. Both the Songsmith and Waterford projects featured improved bus stops as well. At Waterford, WRA cut a sidewalk through a landscaped berm to connect the community to a bus stop along a busy highway. By aligning the sidewalk at an angle, using retaining walls, and adding landscaping, WRA maintained the screening function of the berm while providing a comfortable, convenient, and safe sidewalk link.

Songsmith/Waterford Pedestrian Improvements
Services Performed
Project Highlights

Pedestrian/Bicycle

This project provided critical sidewalks, bike lanes, and bus stops in a car-dependent suburban environment, affording residents of diverse ages, races, and incomes a variety of transportation choices to access community facilities, shopping, and jobs.