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.

Safety impact

Though retailers may face a real issue should the bridge be rendered useless, emergency responders said they were not too concerned about a potential bridge closure's effects.

Delaware State Police Cpl. Wes Barnett said for law enforcement agencies, a bridge closure would not change response times for emergency calls too much.

"We would just have to use alternate routes," he said.

However, Barnett said the time of year would play into response times because of traffic volumes.

Troop 7, which handles the beach area, currently has a patrol assigned to the areas south of the bridge, keeping response times pretty much the same in the event of a bridge outage, Barnett said. In a short-term situation, between the regular patrol, use of a motorcycle officer and assistance from local police departments, Troop 7 would still be able to handle the calls.

In a long-term situation, Barnett said the state police would have to coordinate with other local law enforcement agencies and the communities to work out the best way to handle the areas.

As for fire and ambulance companies, Rehoboth's and Bethany's territories are divided at the bridge.

While the two fire departments assist each other when needed, a bridge outage would probably require more help to be pulled from departments west of each jurisdiction.

Ambulances could pose a greater concern, though, as Lewes' Beebe Medical Center's emergency room is commonly used by ambulance crews from south of the bridge.

"It would add 45 minutes to an hour for a trip to the hospital," McGrath said.

If the Indian River Inlet Bridge were not available for travel, Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin may be used more by ambulance crews for dropping off patients from south of the bridge.

Schools

For student transportation in the Indian River School District -- whose boundary with the Cape Henlopen School District is the bridge -- Transportation Director Walter Smith said there would not be any problems.

Smith said it is possible for a bridge closure to affect inter-district athletics and other types of extracurricular activities. District buses usually travel Route 24 for such events.

Mark Sudimak, who heads up transportation for the Cape Henlopen School District, said Cape's buses for extracurricular activities also do not generally travel Route 1.

"The only effect it would have would be on our Sussex Consortium," Sudimak said.

The consortium has students from the Fenwick Island and Ocean View, leading to one or two buses potentially being affected. Sudimak said for those students, the extra drive team would lead to earlier pickups and dropoffs.

Sudimak said there will be some costs, with the higher fuel consumption, but the consortium's budget would not be affected "in a real dramatic way."

source: dailytimesonline.com