Residents voice concerns over Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement at NCDOT hearing

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Hundreds of people attended a North Carolina Department of Transportation public hearing Monday as residents voiced concerns about the proposed replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, including tolls, neighborhood impacts, safety, pollution and funding.

The hearing at Cape Fear Community College was the first of two NCDOT public hearings this week and one of the final opportunities for residents to publicly comment on the project.

The aging bridge is one of the region’s largest infrastructure projects, with NCDOT considering multiple replacement options and how to fund construction.

Tolls emerged as one of the most contentious issues during Monday’s hearing.

Wilmington officials have repeatedly said they do not want the bridge tolled.

“The city has been aligned and consistent: minimize the impacts and no tolling,” Wilmington mayor Bill Saffo said.

State Rep. Ded Butler also spoke against tolling.

“Tolling requires a vote in the North Carolina legislature. I will not ever vote for a toll on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge,” Butler said.

NCDOT Division 3 Engineer Trevor Carroll said the tolled option received significantly more support during the department’s evaluation of the project.

“The tolled option scored really high, scored about maybe 9 or 10 as far as the rank goes. The nontolled option scored way down the list,” Carroll said.

Carroll said NCDOT’s current path is to pursue a tolled option, with toll revenue used to repay costs associated with the bridge.

“The tolls that are going to be used will pay back for the design, the right-of-way acquisition and the construction of the bridge,” Carroll said.

The NCDOT is considering two options: Option 1, a 65-foot lift bridge, similar to the existing bridge, and Option B, a 135-foot-tall fixed span bridge.

Residents also raised concerns about the project’s potential effects on Wilmington’s historic district.

“You’re dumping a big bad bridge in the middle of a historic neighborhood. God, what’s going on? The EA is ridiculous,” David Hendrickson said, referring to the project’s environmental assessment.

Others raised concerns about noise and pollution, particularly if Option B is constructed.

“Noise will travel up and over rooftops, reaching every downtown resident and business and disturbing wetland wildlife that depend on sound to hunt, mate and survive,” Jane Patterson said.

Hendrickson, a Wilmington resident, questioned whether a taller bridge could create safety concerns for vehicles approaching the bridge from the Leland side.

“Consider what it looks like now with that sweeping turn with the street as it comes from Leland into connect with Dawson. It will be elevated so high, I am concerned that trucks will not be able to stop in time and there will be serious, very serious accidents on that side of the bridge,” Hendrickson said.

Patterson, president of Residents of Old Wilmington, raised concerns about emissions from trucks traveling up a steep grade required on Option B.

“Really hard-working semitrucks going up that steep 5% grade on the fixed bridge; that pollution will not only harm people with preexisting conditions, especially more vulnerable people like children or elderly people,” Patterson said.

Wilmington City Councilmember Salette Andrews called for NCDOT and the U.S. Coast Guard to consider whether the proposed clearance of Option B could be lowered.

Andrews pointed to the Interstate 5 bridge connecting Washington and Oregon, where she said officials ultimately reduced the proposed clearance from 178 feet to 116 feet.

Carroll said NCDOT is expected to select a preferred option toward the end of this year.

Another public hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 15th at the Leland Cultural Arts Center, with an open house starting at 4:30 pm and the hearing beginning at 6 pm.