Newark, DE – Tonight County Executive Matt Meyer and members of New Castle County Council released the following statement after Newark City Council voted to approve a pedestrian and bicycle bridge connecting two parks in the Newark area. The City’s longstanding project to construct a bridge over White Clay Creek along Paper Mill Road using state and federal funds was threatened this month when updated cost estimates revealed a $750,000 funding shortfall. After Newark City Council voted last week to end the project, state and local officials and others responded with new funding commitments to keep the project moving forward. New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer offered to match any commitment from the City of Newark up to $200,000 in county funding, to be submitted to County Council in the County’s Fiscal Year 2019 or Fiscal Year 2020 county capital budgets. After receiving multiple offers of financial support, Newark City Council met tonight and voted to reinstate the bridge project.
“The Charles Emerson Bridge project is a critical commuting and recreation link for pedestrians and bicyclists in the Newark area, and I am pleased that the county’s offer to match local dollars moved this project forward,” said County Executive Matthew Meyer. “This is a great example of federal-state-county-city collaboration, and we look forward to future opportunities to leverage limited taxpayer resources to honest, transparent and efficient outcomes.”
“I am pleased to be able to help the people of the 9th District by supporting the construction of a dedicated biking and walking bridge that will make the public so much safer than walking over a bridge that has to be shared with everything from cars to 18 wheelers,” said County Council member Timothy Sheldon.
“I support this project and this offer of county funding because it’s important for public safety in the greater Newark area,” said County Council member Lisa Diller.
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Contact: Jason Miller, Director of Communications, 302-545-1462