Roof: Inlet bridge issues date to early 2000s

It’s quite interesting to read the comments surrounding the Indian River Inlet. Jogging the memory of some of you older folks, I recall this being a hot topic during the early 2000s, under the administration of Gov. Ruth Ann Minner.

The governor chose Nathan Hayward as her secretary for the Department of Transportation. Somehow, Hayward became one of the most despised members of her Cabinet. One of his first tasks was the work constructing Del. 1. Part of that was the construction of the new bridge and the causeway leading into the inlet.

The Indian River bridge has historically been an issue. If my recollection is close, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported decades ago that the landmass leading to the river was unstable because of the constant erosion of the soil by the river and the impact of the collision of the tides and river only yards away from the bridge. Delaware had already seen bridges at this point washed out into the bay.

Hayward tackled the project with fervor, much to the chagrin of the legislature. He had engineering studies done and plans to fortify the highway and to build a huge bridge across the area. He had already initiated the construction.

With budget concern and a distaste for Hayward, the legislature sought not only to scrap the plans that had been paid for but also to scrap the secretary.

Minner, who had a great relationship with the legislature, acceded to its wishes. The elaborate plans and initial construction were tossed into the bay. New studies assuaged the politicians, a less expensive solution was accepted, and what you see today is what we got out of the deal.

Time and tide wait for no man, and Indian River is a classic reminder. The Corps of Engineers was correct: The area is subject to phenomenal forces. The book “Chesapeake,” though it’s fictional, tells the story of a history before the frail excuses of “global warming” and “green energy” existed.

Ironically, one of Delaware’s most despised politicians was right all along. If the road had been fortified, and the bridge bases moved farther apart to more stable ground, this situation may have been completely avoided. Because personal conflicts interfered with intelligent design, Delaware needs to steel itself for déjà vu all over again.

George Roof

Magnolia

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