Delaware hopes to get traffic moving soon on the Indian River inlet bridge

Governor Jack Markell has ended the state of emergency for all counties in Delaware as of 1 p.m. Wednesday but several roads and bridges across the state remain closed due to high waters and flooding in the storm’s aftermath.

Evacuation zones are now open and have been declared safe for residents and emergency officials will continue to provide storm cleanup help.

As the water recedes, crews with the Delaware Department of Transportation are removing debris and assessing the damage to roadways around the state.

One road that is a major concern to DelDot and motorists is Route 1 leading up to the Indian River inlet bridge. The bridge itself was not harmed by Hurricane Sandy but the roadway leading up to the structure is covered with tons of sand that was churned up during the massive tropical storm.

DelDot crews have been using bulldozers to clear the sand from the road and plan to have it cleaned up by the end of the day. After the road is clear, it will need to be inspected for damage.

“Until the sand is removed we won’t know for certain if there is damage to the road surface and for this reason, we cannot give a firm date for when route one will reopen,” said Sandy Roumillat, deputy manager of public relations for DelDot. “Obviously our first priority is to provide access for emergency vehicles and then open the road to all traffic.”

She added that crews are working as quickly as possible and DelDot will let the public know as soon as the road is deemed safe for all traffic.