New high rise bridge opens in Surf City

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — There is officially a new way to get onto Topsail Island.

People came here from all over the state to say goodbye to the Surf City swing bridge and say hello to a new era.

The DOT says the new high rise bridge is opening 9 months earlier than expected.

Mayor Doug Medlin says the new bridge is one of a kind in the state because of the multi-use path that runs along it.

The path was opened to pedestrians early Tuesday morning before the ceremony.

Many people are happy to see the new bridge but sad to see the swing bridge go.

“Well, I was here when they broke ground for the bridge, came to the celebration for that, so I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Denise Houghton, Surf City resident, said. “It’s just a monumental day in Surf City.”

“Watched the bridge be built and we passed over the old bridge a lot,” Major Jones, area resident, said. “We’ve sat and waited for the turn bridge and now we’re here to drive across it. I think it’s nice.”

Medlin says he remembers the day it opened in 1955.

“Today is the second greatest day we’ve ever had in Surf City,” Medlin said. “The first greatest day when we opened the swing bridge in 1955 and now we have grown to a lot bigger bridge when you’re looking down on the swing bridge. It’s a great day for the Town of Surf City.

The mayor says the swing bridge will be taken apart in the next couple of weeks.