Proposed settlement would allow Bonner Bridge replacement

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — North Carolina transportation officials have reached an agreement with environmental groups that would allow for the construction of a new span across Oregon Inlet to replace the aging Bonner Bridge.

State Transportation Secretary Tony Tata said Monday his agency has reached a proposed settlement with the Southern Environmental Law Center to build the new bridge parallel to the old one. The project has been delayed for years.

The law center represents groups who have pushed in court for a longer and more expensive bridge to bypass the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, which is currently bisected by a two-lane highway prone to frequent flooding. Under the agreement, the state engineers will consider options for rerouting vulnerable sections of North Carolina Highway 12 out of the refuge and into Pamlico Sound.

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