$242M fed grant to help replace NC's Cape Fear Memorial Bridge

Editor’s note: The following story is being republished with permission from CoastalReview.org

The state has secured about half of the $485 million it needs to replace the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge in Wilmington with a proposed high-rise, fixed-span bridge.

Built in 1969, the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is a 3,000-foot-long steel vertical-lift bridge that connects Brunswick and New Hanover counties.

The U.S. Department of Transportation notified Congress Friday of the coming official announcement that North Carolina had been selected for a $242 million grant out of Bridge Investment Program-Large Bridge Project funds through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Biden administration announced.

“This major grant from the Biden Administration is a game changer for the people of Southeastern North Carolina,” Gov. Roy Cooper said Friday in a release from his office. “The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is a critical lifeline for Wilmington and our economy, used every day by thousands of residents, tourists headed to the beach and truck drivers going to and from the port.

I appreciate President Biden’s leadership and commitment to rebuilding our aging infrastructure and look forward to getting this transformational project underway.”

The bridge is currently safe and in fair condition in the wake of a major rehabilitation project completed this spring. However, its design is not up to modern standards, according to the state. It costs about $500,000 a year to maintain and operate the moveable span structure. More than 70,000 cars and trucks use the structure to cross the river each day and is projected to carry nearly 100,000 vehicles by 2050.

“This grant signifies our federal partners understand the challenges we face with continual and increasing maintenance costs of this aging structure that connects communities and carries trucks that transport freight to and from the Port of Wilmington and the need to respond to the tremendous growth this region is experiencing,” North Carolina Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins said.