Marine Construction in Dover, DE

Tidal river water: the St. Jones River, Silver Lake and Isaac Branch — about 40 miles north of the shop.

The St. Jones is tidal well past Dover and runs out to Delaware Bay through some of the largest marsh in the state, which means low, soft ground and frontage where a hard wall is often the wrong instinct. Silver Lake sits in the middle of the city and is fresh, still and entirely unlike the river a mile away.

Access. An hour from the shop, so Dover jobs tend to be scheduled as a block rather than one at a time. We cover ZIP codes 19901, 19904 and the surrounding Kent County shoreline.

What that usually argues for. The fix has to be keyed in below the scour line, which is why toe protection matters more than freeboard here. Rip-rap, engineered bulkhead with proper embedment, or a graded living shoreline where there is room for one.

Shoreline work in Delaware is regulated, and almost anything built in or over the water needs approval from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. We handle that in house — preparing the plans, completing the applications and coordinating with the agencies.

Budget three to twelve months for agency review depending on the complexity of the project. It is the part of the schedule most people underestimate, so it is worth starting the conversation well before the season you want to be using the water.