indian-river-bridge

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) in the US has opened the $150m Indian River Inlet Bridge to traffic.

The structure was completed by Skanska Southeast under a design-build contract with DelDOT. It will connect Sussex County communities along the coast, helping to ease traffic flow in the region.

Currently, one lane of southbound traffic will be open for traffic and a northbound lane opened to in the future, when the old bridge will be demolished.

In the coming months, George & Lynch will complete the roadway approaches on the remaining two lanes on the northbound side of the bridge in order to open all four lanes and the pedestrian and cycleway by spring 2012.

The Indian River Inlet bridge project replaces the existing bridge, which carries four lanes of SR-1 traffic over the Indian River Inlet between Bethany Beach and Dewey Beach in Delaware.

The new structure is 2,600ft long, including a 900ft clear span over the Inlet, with 1,700ft of the structure over land.

In a radical departure from the original bridge design, all supporting structures are out of the river to protect it from salt water.

The main and back span portions will be supported by four 249ft high towers, two on each side of the bridge, with single plane cable stays.

Under the new design, the vertical clearance will increase from the existing 35ft to 45ft over the navigational portion of the inlet, to accommodate large boats.

The bridge will have two 12ft wide travel lanes, a 10ft wide outside shoulder, and a 4ft wide inside shoulder in each direction.

Additionally, one 12 ft wide pavement will be accessible from the east side of the bridge.

 

Image: There will be two lanes each direction and also a pedestrian accessible path on the eastbound side. Photo: Skanska.