INDIAN RIVER INLET, Del. — Route One has reopened after Hurricane Erin flooding shut down both directions of the highway Thursday night.
DelDOT says the next high tide is at 8:30AM and DelDOT staff will continue to monitor roadway should additional flooding occur this morning.
The highway was shut down around 9:30 p.m. Thursday.
Both directions of Route 1 near Indian River Inlet are shut down due to flooding caused by Hurricane Erin and high tide conditions, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation. The highway was shut down around 9:30 p.m. Thursday.
DelDOT says the dunes did not breach and the flooding is coming from the bayside. Water covered the northbound and southbound lanes of the Coastal Highway, prompting transportation crews to close the roadway for safety.
This flooding came just months after multiple dune breaches in March 2024 and again in August 2024. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control responded with an emergency dredging and beach nourishment project earlier this summer.
Flooding comes after emergency repairs
That project placed nearly 500,000 cubic yards of sand on the north side of the Indian River Inlet. The goal was to address severe erosion and protect critical infrastructure—including Route 1—following the summer 2024 breach.
The restoration work widened the beach to at least 150 feet across more than 5,000 linear feet of shoreline and reinforced the dune with a 25-foot-wide crest standing 6 to 8 feet tall.
On Thursday night, DelDOT told CoastTV there has been erosion on the beach but the dunes are holding up.