DelDOT Blogs

Demolition work continues at the old Indian River Inlet Bridge.

As of last week, the demolition sub-contractor has returned to the site mobilizing personnel, materials, and equipment. The contractor has started working on setting up scaffolding and safety lines for crews to access the remainder of the old bridge structure. This will continue through this week. In the coming weeks, the contractor will be working on preliminary setup work for the removal of the bridge girders. None of this work is expected to impact pedestrian or marine traffic at this time.

Bridge girders are expected to start rolling off of the substructure during the month of January. The removal of the piers and remaining substructure will start soon after. Pedestrian and marine traffic will be impacted during structure removal activities. As work progresses and activities approach the time to impact, traffic notices will be provided to the public outlining the schedule of impacts and their dates. The demolition work is expected to be completed in early spring depending on weather.

DelDOT apologizes for the inconvenience of night work during the removal of the old Indian River Inlet Bridge. Removal of the bridge over the water is safer being performed at night, thus we believe we need to perform that work at this time. Fortunately there are only four other dates when night work will be required. They are tonight June 19, and then again on June 24, 25, 26 and possibly June 27. Future bridge demo work may involve noise, but it will be completed during daytime hours. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience, but are eager to get this work completed. The bridge demolition operation is scheduled to be completed in September 2012.

On Sunday, May 6, over 2,000 people joined DelDOT Secretary Shailen Bhatt to celebrate the history and the future of the Charles W. Cullen Bridge at the Indian River Inlet.  The history of this location is one of several different bridges, an ever-changing environment, and the emergence of Delaware as one of the east coast’s premier resort locations. 

In January of this year, Secretary Bhatt hosted Governor Markell, Senator Carper, and others as DelDOT opened the southbound side of the bridge to traffic.  Since then, anticipation has been building for the time when we would officially dedicate the bridge and prepare to open it fully to vehicles and pedestrians.   In the coming weeks before Memorial Day weekend, DelDOT employees will work with our contractor, George & Lynch Construction, to open the northbound side of the bridge, as well as the pedestrian walkway, which will usher in a new era in multi-modal transportation along the Delaware coast and eastern Sussex County.

For the first time since bridges have spanned the inlet, this crossing will not be subjected to the extreme tidal conditions that have affected, and sometimes destroyed, previous bridges.  It is through the ingenuity and work of bridge builders Skanska Civil Southeast and their subcontractors, as well as our members of Team DelDOT, that this new span has risen and will stand for many years to come.

The members of the team that brought this bridge to fruition hailed not only from Delaware, but from around the world.  Each of them came with one common goal: to build this bridge.  Today I can say that they have achieved their goal.  As each of them go on to other projects both within the United States and abroad, they all are leaving their mark right here in Delaware.  Those who will cross this bridge each day will owe a great deal to the members of this team.  They have given their best for the state of Delaware.

The ceremonies on Sunday were in part about re-dedicating the bridge structure to Charles W. Cullen.  You may not readily know who he is, but the work that he did in the past allows for the Indian River Inlet to be the economic and tourism jewel it is today. Mr. Cullen was born in Georgetown in 1865 and practiced law as a member of the Delaware Bar Association.  In 1930, he became a member of the State Highway Commission and sat on the Commission until 1940.  Between 1938 and 1939, he served as Chairman of the Commission.  Throughout his life, he advocated for the inlet to be permanently established at its current location.  He also worked to promote the internal development of the Indian River Bay and the economic and recreational benefits it had to offer.  It is because of his drive and vision that this area of Delaware has become the destination that it is today.  It was because of his dedication to the Indian River and its inlet, the State Highway Commission, and the citizens of Delaware that the second bridge to span the inlet was dedicated in his name in 1940.

When they were building the original Charles W. Cullen Bridge, which was completed in 1940, other than the design, there were some pretty evident differences.  The bridge of today had a price tag of $150 million; the 1940 bridge cost $165,900.  The pedestrian walkway on the new span is 12-feet-wide, the 1940 bridge had a 4-foot-wide sidewalk.  The dimensions of the new bridge have grown as the Delaware coast has grown.

All Delaware residents can now mark the symbolic end of the bridge construction project.  Work on the demolition of the old bridge, along with improvements to restore and enhance various State Park and campground amenities, will be moving forward in the near future.  Over the next few years, the Indian River Inlet area will be reborn into a new treasure of the Delaware coast.

For more information about the Charles W. Cullen Bridge at the Indian River Inlet, please visit irib.deldot.gov.

Indian River Inlet Bridge - November 2011

Finishing activities continue as the work progresses towards a January 2012 opening to traffic.  Some of the primary activities remaining to be performed prior to opening include: deck surface grinding and grooving, pavement striping, final stay tensioning adjustments, stay damper installation, pylon work platform removal, tower crane removal and final punchlist work.  Some additional work activities will continue after the initial opening to traffic.  These include: electrical work, aesthetic lighting installation, sand bypass system installation, future northbound barrier rail installation, pedestrian walkway lighting, painting, and a final detailed inventory inspection. 

Indian River Inlet Bridge - November 2011

Several finishing activities continue as the work progresses towards a January 2012 opening to traffic.  The concrete bridge barriers are complete and the new polyester polymer concrete (PPC) deck overlay work is on-going.  Bridge electrical and lighting work continues, but is not critical for the bridge opening.  Final tensioning adjustments and damper installation work also continues for the cable stay system. 

Despite the adverse weather, another major milestone for the project was reached Friday evening, October 28, with the successful removal of the form traveler over the inlet.  The final form traveler removal now clears the way for many of the more conventional finishing activities.  There is still a considerable amount of work remaining, some of which will include barrier construction, finger joint installation, electrical and lighting work, University of Delaware instrumentation work, final stay adjustments, stay damper installation, placement of a polyester polymer concrete deck overlay, and tower crane disassembly and removal. 

Indian River Inlet Bridge

The final 10-foot closure pour over the inlet is expected to occur by early November.    Recent weather conditions (Hurricane Irene, and remnants of Tropical Storm Lee) have impacted the project and created some schedule delays. These delays could push some future weather-dependent activities into the early winter period thereby hindering construction efficiency towards the end the project.  The Department continues to work with the Design-Builder on modifications that will limit the future weather risks and allow for the opening of the bridge to traffic towards the end of the year.  The schedule will continue to be monitored closely and any changes will be reported.

Indian River Inlet Roadway and Approaches:  The contractor has placed the first course of hot-mix on the approach roads north and south of the inlet; foamed concrete placement is continuing in the south approach abutment area.

Indian River Inlet Bridge - July 2011

The form traveler from the north side of the bridge was successfully lowered onto a barge and sent to Virginia for disassembly on Monday August 15.  All deck sections on the north side are now complete.  Work continues on the first of 3 remaining segments on the south side of the inlet.  The closure pour that will connect the two sides of the bridge is expected to occur in late October.  The scheduled availability to traffic remains at the end of 2011.  The roadway approaches to the new bridge are also progressing well.  We recently started the process to place “foamed concrete” which is a light weight fill material, behind the abutment on the south side of the inlet.  Some paving of the approach roads has also occurred.

For more information, please visit the project website at irib.deldot.gov.

North main span stay segment 14 of 19 has been completed; south main span stay segment 13 of 19 to be completed this week.  Several concrete pours are scheduled this week including: north edge girder pour on form traveler, two deck pours on form traveler (one north and one south), south ballast area deck pour, north abutment deck pour, north ballast cell three (3) of six (6), and north approach span barrier concrete pours.  Work continues to progress as scheduled with the anticipated availability to traffic occurring by late 2011.

Indian River Inlet Bridge Approach Roads Phase II and Bridge Demolition

Traffic is currently in one lane in each direction in its final configuration for this phase of work.  The contractor is currently preparing to start excavation work on the new roadway approaches. The project is expected to be complete in mid-2013.