NCDOT: New Alligator River Bridge begins construction

COLUMBIA, N.C. (WAVY) – A new replacement of the Alligator River Bridge is expected to begin construction in late 2024 or early 2025, according to the N.C Department of Transportation (NCDOT).

This new bridge will replace the 64-year-old Alligator River Bridge on US 64 by replacing the existing swing-span bridge with a modern two-lane, fixed span, high-rise bridge on a new location just north of the current bridge, and two 12-foot travel lanes with 8-foot shoulders.

Earlier this month, 11 large concrete test piles were completed in the Alligator River between Tyrrell and Dare counties. These test piles are used as a foundation structure for the bridge and will be removed once the bridge construction is in progress.

These testing piles helps engineers learn more about the soil layers, the depths and the soil consistency in the riverbed as they replace the bridge.

N.C. Department of Transportation Resident Engineer Pablo Hernandez said, “The soil samples and field data we collected during the test pile project will help us make revisions that determine the final construction design of the bridge structure”

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