NCDOT working to secure millions in frozen funds for Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced it’s working to secure funding for a replacement for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge after a federal grant was frozen earlier this year. 

The $242 million grant for a replacement bridge, was awarded under the Biden Administration, but was put on hold earlier this year by the Trump Administration. 

However, the NCDOT says they are working with the USDOT to unfreeze the grant. The NCDOT will now move forward with environmental assessments to finalize the grant agreement. 

Division Three Engineer Trevor Carroll says the DOT will also have to choose from one of two bridge options to build—a 135-foot fixed-span bridge, or a 135-foot movable one. 

“Right now, we’re still working through that process to determine which alternative will be selected. We expect to have that determination sometime next year,” Carroll said. 

There were originally three bridge options, including a 100-foot tall one, but that option was scraped when the US Coast Guard determined the bridge would need at least 135 feet of clearance.  

Once secured, the $242 million grant will only cover part of the estimated $1.1 billion it will cost to build a new bridge. Carroll says NCDOT is working with the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization to consider “all funding options,” including tolls.