According to NCDOT, the existing four-lane, steel vertical-lift bridge, built in 1969, is becoming functionally obsolete, meaning it can no longer effectively serve current traffic demands. While NCDOT officials say the existing bridge is safe, it is reaching the end of its lifecycle.
Debates over how to pay for a new bridge have raged for several years. Unsolicited offers to build a private toll bridge have been shot down by both local and, more recently, state officials — but, to the near-universal frustration of residents, a toll-bridge option increasingly looks like the only option to pay for a replacement, with an estimated cost of well over $1 billion.
While the funding issue continues to be hashed out, NCDOT has identified two proposed alternatives to replace the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge:
- Alternative A is a bridge with a movable span with a proposed 65-foot to 135-foot vertical clearance over the Cape Fear River.
- Alternative B is a fixed-span bridge with a 135-foot vertical clearance and interchange improvements. Alternative B will allow ships to pass underneath without interrupting traffic on the bridge.
Because the fixed span must be higher, it has a longer footprint, which has prompted pushback from people concerned about the impact on environmentally sensitive and historic preservation areas, as well as traffic…