Community Corner
Photo Tour: Crossing Rt. 52 Causeway by Bicycle
First-hand account of a (somewhat perilous) round trip to Ocean City on a bike.
Amid much fanfare, public officials "cut the ribbon" opening the spectacularly rebuilt Route 52 causeway last week — in time for the busy summer tourist season.
But one eagerly anticipated lane of traffic remains under construction: the separated sidewalk that will carry bicycles and pedestrians across the bay on the 2.2-mile causeway.
The ribbon-cutting, however, did include a complement of cyclists making the ceremonial first crossing. They used the shoulder of the roadway — which will remain open to high-speed cyclists who would ultimately provide a hazard to the slower pedestrian and recreational traffic on the separated sidewalk.
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The police chief confirmed that it is permitted, so we decided to give it a whirl. Having made the crossing exclusively by car over the course of a lifetime (with the exception of a few Trail of Two Cities runs), the idea seemed wildly compelling.
But the actual experience: less than ideal. Probably best left to the Spandex crowd.
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We set out from Linwood on the rail trail that ends at Somers Mansion overlooking the new causeway. Check out the photos above for a description of the trip.
State Department of Transportation officials have no firm date for the opening of the separated bicycle/pedestrian lane, but DOT spokesperson Tim Greeley did say it should almost certainly be open before the new mid-causeway visitors center is completed.
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