The Indian River Inlet has shifted over time in a dynamic barrier beach environment, with its opening appearing and closing at different locations. When the inlet closed, navigation, water quality, mosquito control, and the fishing industry suffered. In November 1929, dynamite was used to open the inlet, which was later dredged to keep it open to navigation. In 1934, a simple wooden bridge over the inlet completed the construction of Ocean Highway, now State Route 1. By the late 1930s, jetties were built to stabilize the inlet. In 1938, a concrete and steel swing bridge replaced the deteriorating wooden bridge. In 1940, the bridge was named for Charles W. Cullen, chairman of commissioners for the State Highway Commission. In 1962, a steel-girder bridge supported by concrete piers replaced the swing bridge. Over time, currents through the inlet scoured the channel and threatened the bridge's stability. The current bridge was completed in 2012, spans the entire inlet, and is expected to last more than 100 years.