“The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is our number one priority in this region:” NCDOT and local officials speak about replacing the aging bridge
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge has been in service since 1969, with thousands of vehicles crossing it every day. After more than a half century of use, the inevitable is approaching.
It begs the question, when is a replacement for the bridge coming?
The newest New Hanover County Commissioner Dane Scalise said it’s high on the counties list of priorities.
“Replacing the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is one of the county commissions highest legislative priorities. We’re working with all the folks that we can at both the state and federal level to help bring this issue up as regularly as we can and to discuss with them the different ways that this could be funded,” said Scalise.
Scalise met with state lawmakers in May and one of his points of conversation was needing a replacement for the current bridge. But Scalise also said he’s spoken with many local residents who feel the same way.
“This is one of the main issues that I hear from members of the community, my constituents who I care deeply about, they are saying, ‘look this bridge is nice, it’s iconic, it’s all of these things but what about that safety piece, what about the costs that are associated with maintaining it?’ Scalise said.
The Department of Transportation plays one of the biggest roles in getting a new bridge. They began a feasibility study on the bridge back in 2019.
Chad Kimes, NCDOT Division Engineer, said it’s not just a priority, it’s the number one priority.
“The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is our number one priority in this region, to be able to figure out a way to get this replaced. We are working with all of our local officials, elected officials, planning organizations. We do have a lot of activates going on to replace this bridge,” said Kimes.
The NCDOT currently has two studies going on right now to determine how and what a new bridge could look like.
“The planning document is important because that will actually choose our final alternative on the type of bridge it will be. We also have a traffic and revenue study going on, tolling is one of those options, but once again, the tolling revenue study looks that if you do toll it, how many people will it predict that will use it, what kind of toll rate it would be?” said Kimes.
The NCDOT did say they are looking at multiple available grants to help offset the cost of the bridge. They are also confident that the placement of the new bridge will be south of the current bridge.
As far as design, the NCDOT has some renderings of what a new bridge could look like, but Kimes said the NCDOT typically sticks to a “standard” design.
