1932-1935 Coast Highway

COASTAL HIGHWAY 1932 - 1935

REHOBOTH BEACH TO BETHANY BEACH

Vigorous road construction in the early 1930' s had Delaware's highway network the envy

of surouding states. The newest road ran down the coast and was complete in 1935. This was the

Ccoastal Highway, 13 miles of asphalt between Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach.

State Senator Louis A. Drexler of Bethany Beach spearheaded a drive to have the coastal road built in the 1920's and after several false starts and other delays caused by the Great Depression,

survey work began for the road in 1932 .

The biggest obstacle to the building of the road along the ocean was the Indian River Inlet.

There were some rumors that the surveyors recommended the project be abandoned but Delaware's

State Highway Engineer, W. W. Mack, took the survey to to recommend how the road should be

built. In addition, Mack announced that a permanent bridge would be built over the inlet.

Within two years the Delaware Coast News, described a trip on the new highway

“ An automobile ride own the new highway from Rehoboth Beach to Bethany Beach starts off

encouraging at south Rehoboth , or Dewey Beach, with several palatial cottages but ends most

abruptly and you catch only a few glimpses now and then of the ocean, a momotonous view of frase overed sand dunes on the ocean side and great stretches of marsh on the Rehoboth and Indian River Bays side”.

However, the opening of this highway in 1935 was seen as a boon for Rehoboth as it drew a number of vistors from Millsboro, Frankford, Millville, Dagsboro, Selbyville and Ocean View. It was another five years before the coast highway connected Delaware's beaches with Ocean City.

Source: Michael Morgan, Delaware Diary & Technical World Magazine, Delaware Coast News.