BETHANY BEACH, Del. - Access to the beach from the Bethany Beach Boardwalk is closed. Recent bad storms have eroded safe access in some areas, and the problem may not be fixed for a while.
It has caused growing frustration among locals.
"It's a little bit of a disappointment," said Aileen S.
According to Jillian Mahoney, operations manager for Bethany Beach Ocean Suites, guests who were expecting a beachfront stay are also let down.
"People obviously come here for the beach so definitely a lot of people have voiced frustration with that," said Mahoney. "I just think people are looking forward to getting that beach replenishment and getting access again."
One visitor, Ellen Buermeyer, says she and her husband were a bit shocked.
"We were very surprised to walk through the main area of the town and not be able to get right onto the beach," said Buermeyer.
Despite the frustration, the town of Bethany Beach says there hasn't been enough sand buildup for temporary reconstruction of the crossovers. Because of that, DNREC doesn't plan on doing any work at this time.
One person in Bethany Beach isn't bothered by that.
"Not for me so much," said Alan Ziman. "I like seeing it from both sides and I'm amazed at what nature has done."
Plus, there is still beach access at 4th Street, 5th Street, Oakwood Street, Maplewood Street, Ashwood Street, Cedarwood Street, and Oceanview Parkway.
The town of Bethany Beach says they continue to expect full beach replenishment and reconstruction of the dunes and beach crossovers in 2023. There is not a start date for that work at this time.