Del. highlighted in infrastructure policy hearing

A Senate committee has begun discussing investments on infrastructure across the country, with a testimony Wednesday morning from a section manager of DNREC.

The hearing was held by the committee of Environment and Public Works.

During opening statements, ranking member U.S. Senator for Delaware Tom Carper explained President Donald Trump has raised the issue of needing to modernize and rebuild infrastructure.

The two witnesses with ties to Delaware, Tony Pratt and Shailen Bhatt, discussed the importance of making smart investments to better maintain existing infrastructure and to protect and spur economic growth in coastal communities.

"My colleagues can learn from some of the smart solutions that both Tony and Shailen have been instrumental in executing in the First State, and I'm confident that with the help of leaders like them, we can find consensus on this issue across the aisle in the year ahead," explains Senator Carper.

Pratt, administrator for the Shoreline and Waterway Management Section for DNREC, testified the need for the investment of dunes. He says they're crucial role in areas like Rehoboth Beach, acting as a dividing line between open water and businesses.

"Coastal infrastructure is a wise investment," says Pratt. "You either pay now or you pay later. We have found in numerous storms in Katrina, and Ike, and Sandy, many storms that have hit the gulf and Atlantic and now the West Coast is suffering some severe weather, that the impacts are tremendous."

Bhatt served as Delaware's Transportation Secretary during Hurricane Sandy and stressed the need to make in order to prevent unnecessary devastation later on. He cited the building of the new Indian River Inlet Bridge in Sussex County to replace the outdated bridge which was able to withstand Hurricane Sandy.