Indian River Bridge (Dover, Bethany Beach, South Bethany: 2011, buying, public schools)

[rockky]

Posted by rossc.....

The federal government has determined that the IR bridge meets minimum requirements to remain open and estimate that it could be declared unsafe as early as 2008. Deldot, in their infinite wisdom, estimate that the new bridge will not be competed until 2011. There was just an article in the paper about this.

rossc, I thought I'd start a thread on this subject. The choices that Ruth Ann (yeah, we use her first name) has made in this issue boggle the mind! I *think* it's her administration's political games that have halted the project more than DelDot right now. Yep. DelDot has gone belly up financially. No one needs some artistic super structure. The area simply needs safe passage over the inlet.

I'm sure you know that that isn't the natural inlet to the bay. This one was created by the Army Corp of Engineers. The ocean *really* wants to cross the highway near the restored Coast Guard Station north of the present inlet.

Firefighters and emergency vehicles will be stalled for nearly an hour getting people to BeeBee Hospital. Folks in North Bethany, Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick, etc. will not be able to get expedient care.

I went to the New Journal to find the article you are talking about. Were did you read the article?

btw, I did see that you guys had a bad storm last night. Everything OK in your world? I gotta call my son and do the PITA, overly concerned Mom thing. He really enjoys that.

[rossc]

The article was in The Wave a week ago. There was something to the effect that the project was awarded in error to a company in FL and there were law suits filed. Evidently the project has been put out to bid again.

There were two severe T-storms last night back to back. Winds were not that bad but lots of lightning. No damage on my little 100x200 foot patch of the world.

[rockky]

Glad to hear all is OK for you, rossc.

The IRB project was not awarded in error. It was awarded to the best bidder taking in consideration all of the pluses and minuses. Mainly time frame of completion.

Some time ago, there was a bill passed in Dover that would *not* demand that bids be awarded to the lowest bidder. The unions were happy since they were the rarely if ever the lowest bidder. In this particular instance, the unions were part of the lowest bid. If the contract was going to the FL company, they demanded that union labor be used. The company in FL would not promise that based on their original bid.

The unions in DE began, or threatened, a law suit demanding that they be awarded the contract since they were the lowest bidders. The governor stopped the project and said they would rebid the project. Why do the unions have so much control? Why does the governor fold to them? She is in her second term. I can't suggest she's buying votes at the risk of the people living and vacationing in southeastern Sussex Co. I really don't get it.

There seems to be paperwork that is lost. Some of the original studies. ?????

Seems the unions want it both ways....at the risk of the public.

I do think there are times that unions are necessary. I was part of one myself when I worked in the public schools. I was working with high risk kids, and it can be a very litigious situation. I joined the union in order to protect myself in case of a law suit. Gee...I was making all of $5.00 an hour at the time. There are often law suits brought by angry, frustrated parents. It would have wiped us out.

In this case....nope. In DE someone who sets tile in a state work project, such as a public school, is making nearly $50.00 an hour. The tax payers are footing this bill, and they don't even know it's happening.

Do the math. Just think what is going to happen with this bridge project. Think what it is going to cost innocent people. I'm not talking dollar and cents if the bridge is that unsafe. The guys who fish the area have stories.

Go to delawareonline. Do a search for Indian River Bridge. Read the comments both pro and con. There's more fishy about this situation than what swims beneath that compromised bridge.