Considered a 50-year flood zone, it seemed doubtful that flooding (predicted well in advance by the National Weather Service) would come even close to the recent Delaware River floods of September 2004. 

For those in low-lying areas, it turned out to be a nightmare of grand proportions.   For those living along the river in small many towns and villages from Narrowsburg NY all the way to Philadelphia, April 3rd 2005 will be a day they will remember for a long time.

The September 2004 floods were caused by heavy rainfall along with the east coast remnants of Hurricane Ivan.  The 'Great flood of 2005' differed in that it was a combination of heavy  rain, continuous mountain snow-melt, and controlled water releases from upstream.  

The result ...  An incredible 'rush' of water, not only pouring over the river banks, but taking porches, fences, and even entire basements plummeting down the Delaware River.  The fury of the water  on this day was a sight to behold, and will find a place in the history books.

The river gauge at Tocks Island placed the river level second only to the flood of 1955.   A photo of the bridge toll house and water level in 1955 can be found here .   The picture taken from the same location April 3 can be found here.   

This event was only slightly lower with the river reaching the bridge's scaffolds and water entering the toll house basement.  Access roads, and the nearby boat launch were completely under water.   The view of the fierce current approaching the bridge can be realized here.

Route 739, closed during the event in the area was completely submerged as was the nearby boat launch.  The photo is here .  Another view towards 739 from the bridge is here.

As close as possible from the NJ side, this photo shows the velocity of the water as it approached bridge level.

The Dingmans Bridge defied history once again, and after a meticulous inspection by engineers, received a clean bill of health, and was re-opened to traffic as soon as the access roads were.

One of our photographers pieced together a group of images (taken the following day as waters receded) in a flash slideshow.  

Note:  If you have broadband, you will see the images quickly.   If you are on dial-up, it will take 30-90 seconds for the first few images to render, and then another minute for the entire slideshow.  (You can right click, rewind and play again, once it is downloaded).   The 'movie' is best viewed in full-screen.  

Access the slideshow by clicking here .  If your system is not 'Flash compatible', use this link which will take longer (up to 5 minutes or more), depending on your connection speed.

Special thanks to all who understood the necessity of the temporary closing of the bridge.   As always, it was 'safety first', and we're pleased that history did not repeat itself and the current bridge remains solid, and an important part of our local history.

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Images copyright © 2005 Dingmans Choice and Delaware Bridge Company