Indian River Inlet Bridge

Indian River Inlet Bridge
Indian River Inlet Bridge looking south
Coordinates	38°36′29″N 75°3′49″W / 38.60806°N 75.06361°W / 38.60806; -75.06361
Carries	4 lanes of DE 1, pedestrians, and bicycles
Crosses	Indian River Inlet
Locale	Sussex County, Delaware
Official name	Charles W. Cullen Bridge
Maintained by	Delaware Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Design	Cable-stayed bridge
Total length	2,600 feet (790 m)
Width	107.66 feet (32.81 m)
Longest span	950 feet (290 m)
Clearance below	45 feet (14 m)
History
Opened	January 20, 2012
Location of the bridge within the state of Delaware

The Indian River Inlet Bridge (officially the Charles W. Cullen Bridge) is a cable-stayed bridge located in Sussex County, Delaware in the United States. It carries four lanes of Delaware Route 1 (DE 1) over the Indian River Inlet between the Indian River Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The bridge is within Delaware Seashore State Park between Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach. The Indian River Inlet Bridge is maintained by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT). The bridge is 2,600 feet (790 m) long and 107.66 feet (32.81 m) wide, with a span of 950 feet (290 m) and overhead clearance of 45 feet (14 m).

Prior to the current bridge, four other bridges have spanned the Indian River Inlet, opened in 1934, 1940, 1952, and 1965, the latter widened by an additional span added in 1976. All were known informally as the Indian River Inlet Bridge, and all but the first officially were named the Charles W. Cullen Bridge. The 1965 bridge, a steel girder bridge, was subject to scouring from the inlet, leading to the need to replace it. Initial plans for a tied-arch bridge over the inlet in 2004 were over budget, and 2006 plans for a 1,400-foot (427-meter) cable-stayed bridge were cancelled because of early construction and legal problems. Construction of the current, 2,600-foot (792-meter) bridge began in 2008 as part of a design-build project, with Skanska awarded the contract to build the bridge. The current Indian River Inlet Bridge opened partially in January 2012 and completely in May 2012 at a cost of $150 million.

The Indian River Inlet Bridge crosses the Indian River Inlet connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Indian River Bay to the west. The bridge is located within Delaware Seashore State Park and carries DE 1 between Rehoboth Beach to the north and Bethany Beach to the south. It carries four 12-foot (3.7-meter) lanes of traffic (two northbound and two southbound), a 4-foot (1.2-meter) interior and 10-foot (3-meter) exterior shoulder in each direction, and a 12-foot (3.7-meter)-wide sidewalk on the east side of the bridge for pedestrians and bicycles.