Indian River Inlet Bridge costs increase by $58 million
By ANGIE BASIOUNY / The News Journal
05/16/2005
The new Indian River Inlet Bridge will cost about $58 million more than expected because of a jump in the market price of steel and concrete needed to build the one-of-a-kind structure, transportation officials said.
The total cost for the project, which will create the longest arched span in the world, is estimated at $218 million. The price tag was $160 million when ground was broken in October.
Workers have been installing a barrier wall to protect and shore up the existing roadway during construction of the new bridge. Construction is set to begin this summer and should wrap up in fall 2008. There are no plans to change the design because of the rising costs.
State Transportation Secretary Nathan Hayward III said cutting costs would mean cutting corners, and he has no plans to do that.
"This is not an everyday project. This is not an everyday cost," Hayward said. "You want to look at the value of your investment over a hundred years."
The bridge itself accounts for the largest increase, from an estimated $71 million to $108 million. The increase is tied to steep prices for steel, concrete and other construction materials.
The demand for steel has risen, experts said, especially in Asian countries, where booming economies mean rapid growth in new construction. Worldwide supply hasn't kept up, forcing the price of steel to double in the United States since 2003, according to federal labor statistics.
The bridge will use plenty of steel -- in the cables suspended from the hollow concrete arch and in the massive pilings that will be driven deep into the inlet floor. The project also calls for expensive, high-grade polymer concrete, which can flex without cracking as much as regular concrete, and steel rebar that is coated with epoxy to resist rusting if salt water seeps through the concrete.
Both materials can withstand ocean conditions better than standard products.
"This isn't the Mojave Desert," Hayward said. "You're smack in the middle of what can be a very corrosive environment. We deliberately selected the most durable material we could find."
The rise in the cost of the bridge comes a month after the state Department of Transportation announced it would cut more than $200 million in upcoming road improvements, mostly in New Castle County, because of a lack of money. But Hayward said the new bridge is a much bigger priority. Federal money will pay for 60 percent, while the state will pay the remainder.
"Do you want to bet the farm on postponing or canceling the project and using this money for something else, and then having the [existing] bridge be closed?" he said. "There isn't another project in Delaware that has this risk associated with it."
State budget writers are predicting surplus revenues for the next fiscal year, which could be used to offset rising costs.
The existing bridge is not unsound, but strong wave action in the inlet has worn depressions around the base of the pillars that support the structure.
State Sen. George H. Bunting Jr. said that is why the cost of the project is mitigated by safety concerns. He has pushed for 10 years to build a better bridge.
"There's an old saying about building anything near the ocean: The best is not good enough," said Bunting, D-Bethany Beach. "What it costs today to build that bridge is going to be a hundred times as much if you reconstruct it again. I'm very passionate about this bridge. I just feel that we've got one shot at doing this."
That philosophy is shared by Hayward, who detailed other features that have driven up the cost estimate:
•The 1,000-foot span is longer than currently needed, but designed to accommodate future widening of the inlet, adding $20 million to $30 million.
•The vertical clearance will be nine feet higher than the current bridge, adding about $1 million.
•The span will have a separated, lighted lane for bicyclists and pedestrians, adding $5 million to $10 million.
•Construction inspection, which will verify that the bridge and surrounding roads are built to specifications, will cost $20 million.
•The adjacent Delaware Seashore State Park campsite will be used for a concrete batch-mixing plant, resulting in revenue loss for the park. DelDOT will pay the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control about $19 million and make some improvements to the site.
•The unique arched design -- chosen by residents, boaters, business leaders and town officials -- is $10 million to $20 million more than a conventional design.
The rewards, proponents say, will make the extras worthwhile. Those in favor of the new bridge say it will become a centerpiece of Delaware's tourism industry. Sussex County's beaches get 5 million to 6 million visitors a year, said Carol Everhart, president of Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce,
"It's definitely going to be an icon of sorts," she said. "It's a bridge that was needed, and the fact that they've chosen to make it a one-of-a-kind is positive and not a negative to tourism and the area."
She's not surprised to learn the price tag increased significantly.
"Anybody who has bought a piece of property in this county in the last three to five years certainly understands that things go up," Everhart said. "That's because we are a destination of choice. It's a quality location, and they are building a quality bridge."
Contact Angie Basiouny at 324-2796 or abasiouny@delawareonline.com.
