SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.. -- DelDOT is hard at work building a metal-sheet barrier along Route One to prevent flooding where dune breaches have occurred. Now, an emergency dredging project is underway to help restore the beach just a few feet away.
Delaware is spending $15 million to repair the north side beach. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to undo the damage caused by a dune breach that occurred in August.
In its press release, DNREC said the work is necessary to protect critical transportation infrastructure, including Coastal Highway, which serves as an emergency evacuation route.
Sussex County neighbor Gerald Daugherty is glad to see the work has begun.
"If Route One was to go down in this area, there's no way of getting down here besides Route 113 which is about 12 miles west of here," said Daugherty. "It's a longer process, if it's an emergency, then it could be, a lot of issues could arise from that."
According to DNREC, the corps has a dredge situated in the Indian River Inlet, prepared to suck up 380,000 cubic yards of sand to feed through a pipeline over to the north side beach.
The beach will be built up to a height of 9.2 feet, or about seven feet above the average high tide. DNREC reports the beach's width will be approximately 100 feet, but that will be determined by available dredge material.
Sand is also being used to rebuild the dune system to a height of 16 feet with a width of 25 feet.
While the goal here is to increase safety along Route One and around the Indian River Bridge, fisherman Joseph Nguyen, who we spoke with on the south side of the inlet, sees a functional side to the project.
"It's convenient for us to cross back and forth, we can fish either here[south side of the inlet] or another fishing spot for us is Henlopen Park," said Nguyen. "It's very easy access."
Neighbors hope the $15 million emergency project will be more than just a band-aid and will keep erosion at bay for the foreseeable future.
"I would like it to be a long-term one but I don't think it will be, I think they'll have to do additional work or youknow keep at it, keep improving," said Daugherty. "Once a storm comes in, a big storm, that'll be the true test."
The work happening now is the first phase of this project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing for a second phase, slated to begin in 2025.
