INDIAN RIVER INLET — The shoreline north of the Indian River Inlet has been steadily pushing toward its coastal dunes in recent years, which has threatened Del. Route 1 and the highly-visited beach area.
After two breaches and several close calls this year, the increasing volume of these type of incidents have underscored the need for shoreline replenishment and dredging in the area, which has spurred Delaware lawmakers – both federally and locally – into action.
Senate Minority Leader Gerald Hocker, R-Ocean View, told the Daily State News that, he has lived nearby the inlet his whole life and has known how important bypass dredging is to the beach and accompanying dunes’ vitality.
“I don’t remember it being this bad, this long,” Sen. Hocker said. “I remember it being at least 300-foot of beach from the dune to the ocean; so that’s how bad we let it get over the years. We are very, very lucky that storm wasn’t any worse… or we would not have a (Del.) Route 1.”
In response to these incidents, Gov. John Carney on Sept. 12 announced the Department of Transportation (DelDOT) will install additional metal sheets to create and reinforce a wall on the repair site.