First major holiday weekend with the Oak Island bridge back open

OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) — It’s the first major holiday weekend with the Oak Island G.V. Barbee Bridge back up and running, and business owners say they are glad to be busy.

A few businesses are definitely glad to have the bridge back in time for the holiday weekend.

If you wanted to make the trip to Dunes Mercantile for the past six months, you had to take the long way around Oak Island.

The owners say they are thrilled to have the bridge back.

Owner Jackie Del Prete says they took over the store at the beginning of April. While the bridge was closed, she said they definitely relied on the locals.

“All the businesses kind of stuck together and helped each other out,” Del Prete said. “We’re very appreciative of the locals being here and helping, but with the being the first holiday weekend of the season, it’s rest to have it open.”

She says they have already seen a jump in traffic since the bridge opened. She says they have managed to stay busy between tourists and locals this weekend.