The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge will undergo repairs later this winter

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — If you cross the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge for your daily commute, you will need to adjust your route later this year.

The Department of Transportation will be doing work on the bridge to replace grating and support beams. The NCDOT says the work needs to be done due to the heavy amount of traffic the bridge sees each day, along with the growth the Cape Fear region is experiencing. While the specific dates have not been announced, NCDOT says the project will start sometime this winter and could likely go into the beginning next year.

NCDOT Division Maintenance Manager Trevor Carroll said motorists should prepare for serious traffic.

“Yeah, so the impacts to traffic will be significant. We are working with our designers now and we’re trying to come up with the best strategy to minimize the traffic impacts. We know that whenever we close the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, we have to send traffic around Wilmington.”

Carroll says they are currently developing plans for the project and will send out a notice for it well in advance to warn drivers.