Can you imagine: The Indian River bridge is closed...

There is a dividing line cutting Delaware's resort coast almost in half -- the Indian River Inlet.

Keeping those two halves connected is a bridge the Delaware Department of Transportation is working to replace. But shifting soils, cost overruns and close inspections by legislators are complicating and extending the effort.

The Indian River Inlet Bridge is not just used by tourists traveling between beaches, but also for home and business deliveries, emergency and law enforcement agencies and commuter traffic.

The bridge spans the inlet where the Indian River Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. The alternative routes require drivers to travel farther inland and go around the bay on Routes 24 and 26, both of which are two-lane avenues.

The bridge, as it currently stands, is completely safe, according to DelDOT spokesman Darrel Cole, who said such a scenario is almost impossible.

But what would happen if a previously unknown structural issue was required or a massive storm caused the Indian River Inlet Bridge to be closed before the new one is constructed?

"It would, for all intensive purposes, cut us off from the rest of the state in a very physical way," said Karen McGrath, executive director for the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce.

Carol Everhart, head of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, said with the cost of gas, people have to consider everything a bridge closure would touch.

She said area residents would have to reconsider their daily routines, for those who regularly traverse the bridge.

For example, Everhart said someone who lives in the Fenwick area but works in Rehoboth would now have to drive around the inlet to get to work, spending more on gas. Those people would also have to consider allotting more time to pick up their children from school or a baby sitter.

"It would create a traffic nightmare," McGrath said.

Business erosion

McGrath said businesses would definitely see a drop in customers due to a bridge closure -- especially on the southern side.

Stores would be faced with delivery issues, as trucks would have farther to drive, said McGrath. Delivery fees would probably increase due to additional drive times and gas prices.

The situation would be a traffic and a public relations nightmare during the closing and afterward, McGrath said. Resorts immediately south of the bridge would probably see a drop-off in tourism, due to extra drive times and increase traffic.

To show the economic impact on the tourism industry, Everhart said the average estimate for money spent by a visitor at Delaware's beaches is $100 for someone on a day trip and $200 for a person staying overnight.

McGrath said for the southern resorts, recouping lost tourists would be difficult, because people would have vacationed elsewhere and would need to be coaxed back.

Everhart said the northern resorts would also take a hit, as there have been dramatic traffic increases northbound on Route 1, with people coming from Ocean City to the Rehoboth area for the outlet center and tax-free shopping.

"We have a very large and increasing visitation to our area from the Ocean City area," Everhart said.