Beginning Saturday, May 27th, visitors to the Smith Bridge parking lot will be directed by NPS employees or volunteers to park in the large field near the corner of Brandywine Creek Road and Ramsey Road on weekend and holidays. The lot will resume current operations Monday - Friday.
The existing Smith Bridge parking lot will be converted into two zones: which will consist of an accessible parking area and a 10-minute unloading zone. Vehicles will enter the lot using the middle gate and exit through the left gate. Accessible parking, with a valid state-issued accessible parking pass or license plate, will be located to the right of the middle entrance. Those wishing to use the unloading/loading area will turn left, parallel park along the boulders, and be allowed 10-minutes to unload. After unloading, visitors will exit the lot and follow parking signs to the new weekend parking lot a quarter mile down the road. As always, all parking remains free for both areas.
Our hope is that this new traffic pattern will eliminate the 200+ vehicles that were illegally parking along the roadways, and lead to a decreased chance of accidents and visitor injuries. By providing a larger parking area, we can improve park access for all visitors and ensure a more positive experience.
In addition to the new parking pattern, park staff and volunteers will be working on trail improvements to and from the parking lots and arranging for the dumpsters and portable restrooms to be placed in the Smith Bridge parking lot.
For questions or comments email the park: firststate@nps.gov
Tags: delaware parking smith bridge frst brandywine
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service