About
Constructed in 1850, this 72-foot-long, Ithiel Town wooden lattice truss bridge is one of the last two that remain among the 13 that once crisscrossed Red Clay Creek in Delaware.
The Wilmington and Western Railroad once included a station near the bridge and the area became a very popular picnic spot for train passengers. The railroad still runs alongside Red Clay Creek and carries riders past Wooddale Bridge to this day.
Wooddale grew to become a village in the 1890s, but it survived for less than 20 years with people moving away after the last factory, a paper mill, burned down in 1918.
In 2003, the original Wooddale Bridge was destroyed by flooding related to Tropical Storm Henri. Between 2007-2008, the Delaware Department of Transportation undertook a multimillion-dollar effort to restore the bridge. This included raising the roadway five feet and using highly durable Bongossi wood to better fortify the span.
The bridge was re-opened on December 15, 2008, and has been standing strong ever since.
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Know Before You Go
Wooddale Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1973.
Published
September 6, 2023
