Alicia Mason LINKING DELAWARE'S SEASHORES -- The Indian River Inlet Bridge could be replaced beginning in 2005. The bridge links the coastal towns of Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach to Bethany Beach and Fenwick island.

State transportation officials said they hope to start building a new bridge across the Indian River Inlet sometime in 2005.

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has budgeted $2 million this year for design work on a replacement to the current span on Dec. 1. Earlier this year, Transportation Secretary Nathan Hayward III told lawmakers he thought a new bridge was a better long-term solution to underwater erosion problems that force the state to constantly monitor the bridge.

The bridge links the towns of Lewes and Rehoboth Beach on the north side of the inlet with the towns of Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island to the south.

"This isn't one of those plans that will be done then sit on a shelf," DelDOT spokeswoman Michele Ackles said. "Secretary Hayward has said he intends to move forward as soon as we have a plan everyone can live with."

DelDOT figures show that between 16,000 and 18,000 cars cross the bridge each day.

Since the 1970s, strong currents in the man-made inlet that links the inland bays to the Atlantic Ocean have gouged holes up to 100 feet deep in the channel. Those currents have ripped away underwater topsoil surrounding the pilings that support the bridge.

"When you go under the bridge at water level, you can tell it needs work," Ernie Felici of Fenwick Island, who boats in the area, said. "I'm not an engineer or an expert, and I believe them when they say it's safe, but it would probably be a good idea to replace the bridge at some point."

Ackles said the state's current fix to the problem--surrounding the pilings with large piles of heavy stone, known as riprap--protects the pilings and slows the erosion.

"We have divers that go down and check the bridge, and they say the riprap is working," Ackles said. "But over time you have to add more stone to do the same thing, and the secretary has said he thinks the better solution is simply replacing the bridge."

Replacing the bridge will require approval from the United States Coast Guard, which is responsible for safe navigation in the inlet, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which owns the inlet.

Ackles said officials from both agencies, as well as the Federal Highway Administration, will be included in the planning talks.

Replacing the bridge has been a crusade for Senator George H. Bunting Jr. (D-Bethany Beach), who has spent the last 10 years lobbying DelDOT to do something about the span.

"They ignored me for a long time," Bunting said. "I'm glad Hayward is listening and doing something about the problem while the bridge is still safe to travel over. If they waited until they had to close it down, it would be a disaster for the entire region."

Ackles agreed.

"Depending on the time of year and other traffic, that could add a lot of extra travel time for emergency vehicles going to Beebe Hospital in Lewes," she said. "And While [Del.] 26 and [Del.] 54 are the official evacuation routes when there's a storm, [Del. 1] is always full. Losing the bridge could create real problems at times like that."

Ackles said the Department would like to see some type of suspension bridge to avoid, or at least minimize, the need for new underwater pilings that support the bridge piers. DelDOT's request for proposals also said the state would like the bridge designed so it becomes a landmark.

Landmark or not, Felici said, he likes the idea of a suspension bridge because its lack of support structures in the water would ease navigation for boaters in the inlet.

"With the currents, it can be pretty tricky to navigate in there as it is," he said. "And with those piers, if you're not paying attention you can have real problems in there."

Reach Patrick Jackson at (302) 678-4274, or by e-mail at mailto:pjackson@delawareonline.com

Originally published Wednesday, August 21, 2002