Cape Fear NC bridge replacement

A US$440 million plan to replace the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge in North Carolina has taken one step closer. Funding worth $85 million from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) would be made available if the new structure is tolled.

The bridge opened to traffic in 1969 and is proving costly to maintain, as well as being increasingly unable to cope with current traffic volumes. The steel vertical-lift bridge carries US 17, US 76 and US 421 over the Cape Fear River, connecting Brunswick County with New Hanover County. The bridge features an unusual design, with a 408m lift span that can be raised by 41m, allowing vessels travelling to and from the nearby Port of Wilmington to pass underneath. Any replacement bridge would also have to allow vessels to pass, either by using a more conventional bascule type lifting system or with a high arch. A feasibility study into the replacement for the bridge was carried out in 2023.

Traffic estimates suggest that the bridge will be carrying up to 80,000 vehicles/day by 2045, which the structure will be unable to cope with. Extensive maintenance work has had to be carried out on the structure, managed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) but the bridge has limits on its capacity. Some $15 million was spent on improvements to the bridge in 2019. Maintenance will need to be carried out every six to eight years and will become increasingly costly as it ages and traffic volumes grow.