NEW CASTLE, DE — State and bridge officials gathered Wednesday to recognize two milestones for the Delaware Memorial Bridge: the 75th anniversary of the first span and the completion of a new ship collision protection system. The event in New Castle brought together leaders from Delaware and New Jersey, along with the Delaware River and Bay Authority. They used the occasion to highlight the bridge’s long record of service and the latest work meant to safeguard it.
The protection project cost $89 million and began in 2023. Officials said it is designed to reduce the risk of damage from a vessel striking the bridge towers. The bridge first opened in 1951 and was the first to connect Delaware and New Jersey.
Protection System Completed
The Ship Collision Protection System includes eight solid-fill dolphin cells, which are concrete cylinders filled with sand and topped with stone. Each cell measures 80 feet in diameter and is positioned to absorb the impact of a ship that veers off course. DRBA Chief of Operations Vince Meconi said the structure is intended to take the blow so the bridge itself does not have to.
Officials said the project is the authority’s largest single infrastructure effort since construction of the bridge’s second span in 1968. The system also received national attention after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which sharpened concern about the consequences of a major bridge collision. Senators and transportation officials have pointed to that disaster as a reminder of what can happen when a large span is vulnerable.
Bridge’s Long Record
The first span opened 75 years ago and, at the time, ranked as the sixth-largest suspension bridge in the world. Since then, it has become one of the region’s most heavily used crossings. Officials said nearly two billion vehicles have traveled over the bridge since it opened…