North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) officials presented three design alternatives for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement on Tuesday during the first of two public input meetings.
For years, local leaders across the Cape Fear region have pushed to replace the aging Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, built in 1969. Those bridge replacement efforts received a major boost this summer when the project secured a $242 million federal grant.
The replacement options include Alternative A, a movable span bridge with a 65-foot vertical clearance when closed and 135-foot clearance when open; Alternative B, a fixed span bridge with 135 feet of vertical clearance; and Alternative C, a fixed span bridge with a 100-foot vertical clearance, plus or minus 35 feet.
According to preliminary estimates, Alternative A could cost $765 million, while Alternative B is expected to cost $452 million. The cost of Alternative C is yet to be determined. Each alternative would include three proposed traffic lanes in each direction and a 15-foot-wide multiuse path.
Tuesday’s meeting is part of a comment period that will help determine the design used in the bridge replacement, said Trace Howell, a senior project manager with NCDOT.
“It’s all pieces of information that will be helpful in determining what the public is saying regarding three options that we have,” Howell said.
The public comment period ends on Oct. 25. Comments received before then will be included in a public comment summary and environmental documentation for the bridge replacement, Howell said.
Moving forward, NCDOT will select a final design using several factors, including environmental and property impacts and public input, Howell said.
NCDOT aims to choose a design alternative in spring 2025, according to Howell. Next summer, the project’s environmental document will be issued, and another public hearing is expected to take place.
Source: Wilmingtonbiz.com, WECT.com
