Leland residents, officials raise concerns over proposed Cape Fear Memorial Bridge toll

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — An unsolicited proposal to replace the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge with a toll bridge will go before the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization on Wednesday.

Some Leland residents and officials worry the proposed toll would make daily travel into Wilmington unaffordable for those who rely on the bridge for work, medical appointments and other needs.

“That would severely discourage them from going,” said Leland resident David Frankel, president of the Brunswick Forest Civic Association.

Frankel said many residents living on fixed incomes would not be able to afford the proposed toll.

“A lot of people are also affluent, and the toll wouldn’t bother them, but they still would be discouraged from using a toll bridge when there are other avenues that they could go,” Frankel said.

The proposal calls for constructing a six-lane bridge with enough clearance for cargo ships to pass underneath. According to the proposal, tolls could be as high as $2.75 per trip.

Leland Town Council member Veronica Carter said questions remain about how much drivers could ultimately be charged.

“We really haven’t gotten to that point yet, I’ve heard anything from $2 to $2.50 one way, which can be $5 a day, that’s $5 less if you take into account inflation and people’s income have not kept up with inflation,” Carter said.

Carter sponsored a resolution opposing a toll bridge that the Leland Town Council approved in April. It is one of several similar resolutions passed in recent years.

“This isn’t anything new, we have been consistently been speaking out against the toll,” Carter said.

Carter serves as an alternate representing Leland on the WMPO board. She said Brunswick County has four representatives on the 13-member board.

“So in order to get a majority vote, we need to convince three other entities from the other side of the river to join us,” Carter said.

Carter said many of the people who regularly cross the bridge moved to Leland and other parts of Brunswick County in search of a more affordable place to live.

“If you think about the people in Leland who use the bridge the most, it’s the workers, it’s the people who come here to live for a quieter less expensive way of life and now we are going to charge them to do that, that seems to me just wrong,” Carter said.

The WMPO board will meet at 3 p.m. Wednesday at 525 N. Front St. in Wilmington to discuss the proposal.