Erosion caused by high tide leads to closure of North Inlet Day Area pedestrian crossings

The north and middle pedestrian crossings at the North Inlet Day Area will be closed Labor Day weekend due to erosion, Delaware State Seashore Park announced Friday.

The park posted on Facebook that the high tide caused additional erosion, sharing a photo of a large swath of missing sand. One commenter said they were currently at the beach and it was "almost gone."

The dune on the north side of the Indian River Inlet bridge has been the target of recent fortification efforts by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Department of Transportation after an ocean breach closed Route 1.

The recent breach was caused by Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Ernesto, a DNREC spokesperson said. To prevent future highway closures, the departments have started using riprap, or rocks, to stabilize the weakened area of the dune.

Delaware State Seashore Park said it will provide updates if conditions in the North Inlet Day Area change; however, they expect the north and middle pedestrian crossings will remain closed through the weekend.

WHAT HAPPENED? After 2 ocean breaches, state uses riprap to fortify dune by Indian River Inlet bridge

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on X at @h_edelman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Erosion caused by high tide leads to closure of North Inlet Day Area pedestrian crossings