Feds grant NC $242 million to replace major Wilmington bridge
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The federal government will grant North Carolina $242 million to replace the busy and aging Cape Fear Memorial Bridge in Wilmington, Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis announced Friday.
Why it matters: The bridge crosses the Cape Fear River and serves as an "essential connection between Wilmington and the world," the city's Mayor Bill Saffo said, according to the Wilmington Star-News.
- The bridge is projected to carry some 100,000 vehicles per day by 2025, driven by demand from Leland and other places in neighboring Brunswick County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S.
The latest: The 3,000-foot vertical lift-bridge was rehabilitated this spring, but "is not up to modern standards," Cooper said in a statement.
- The federal funding, which comes from the Biden Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will cover about half of the $485 million replacement project to build a high-rise fixed-span bridge.
Catch up quick: Funding the bridge replacement has been an issue for nearly two decades, WHQR reports.
- City officials were met with outrage when they proposed a toll earlier this year to pay for the bridge replacement.
- It's unclear how the other half of the project will be funded.
What they're saying: "The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is a critical lifeline for Wilmington and our economy, used every day by thousands of residents, tourists headed to the beach and truck drivers going to and from the port," Cooper said.
- "I appreciate President Biden's leadership and commitment to rebuilding our aging infrastructure and look forward to getting this transformational project underway."