“It’s proof that we didn’t put our pencils down,” NCDOT Division 3 Engineer Trevor Carroll said. “We listened to the comments, and that’s why we’re opening this new comment period for these two alternatives, so we can continue to listen.”
The North Carolina Department of Transportation has redesigned its option for replacing the aging Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, cutting the number of affected properties from 63 to 17 after receiving more than 1,800 public comments criticizing the original plan. Carroll hosted a press conference at the NCDOT facility in Castle Hayne to announce a new public comment period on the updated option that runs through December 4.
Revised Alternative B lands on Third Street, not Fifth Avenue
The updated Alternative B replaces a planned connection at South Fifth Avenue with a large looping ramp that deposits traffic at South Third Street, near Dawson and Wooster streets. The change reduces impacted parcels from 63 to 17 and eliminates residential relocations entirely, down from two in the original design, according to NCDOT. The revised plan would still require two business relocations and affect about 10.8 acres of federally regulated wetlands and 20.8 acres of the 100-year floodplain, WECT reported, citing the project’s environmental assessment addendum.
The redesign also eliminates a retaining wall near Queen and Second streets that was part of the earlier layout. The fixed-span bridge would stand 135 feet tall over the Cape Fear River and carry six travel lanes plus a 15-foot multiuse path, according to WECT.
Alternative a and revised Alternative B remain the two options
NCDOT is weighing two primary alternatives. Alternative A is a shorter bridge with a movable lift section providing 65 to 135 feet of vertical clearance, connecting to South Third Street much like the current bridge, at an estimated cost of $1.11 billion, WilmingtonBiz reported. The revised Alternative B, a 135-foot fixed span, is now estimated at just over $1.02 billion—$9.3 million less than the original design—and occupies just over 30 acres south of the existing bridge compared with the original’s 25.6 acres, according to WilmingtonBiz.
Though structurally sound, the current Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, constructed in 1969, has been classified as functionally obsolete and increasingly expensive to maintain, struggling to handle rising traffic volumes.
Tolls would cover $773 million of the $1.1 billion cost
The project carries a total price tag of roughly $1.1 billion. NCDOT has secured $85 million in state funding and a $242 million federal grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, leaving approximately $773 million to be covered by tolls, WHQR reported. Tolling requires approval from the North Carolina General Assembly, expected in February, and authorization from the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, which has approved exploring tolled options but could rescind that approval by February to halt the process, according to WHQR.
The Isabel Holmes Bridge, about two miles north, would remain a non-toll option, WECT reported.
City of Wilmington’s lower-cost alternatives set aside
Carroll said NCDOT is not currently considering alternative designs proposed by the City of Wilmington last month, which consultants hired by the city said would be lower-impact and less expensive. “Those options that the city of Wilmington presented are, I would say, welcomed alternatives,” Carroll said, according to WHQR. “Our constraints for delivering this project on schedule, we do not have the opportunity to explore those options through this current time frame.”
Some city alternatives would require the Army Corps of Engineers to reevaluate the navigation channel and Congressional approval to change clearance requirements. The City of Wilmington, New Hanover County, and Leland have all requested such a reassessment, and New Hanover County reported making headway with a lobbyist, though the city had not heard back, WHQR reported.
Public submits bridge project feedback
The public comment period on both alternatives opened Wednesday and remains open through December 4. Comments can be submitted online, by email to CapeFearMemorialBridge@publicinput.com, or by calling (984) 205-6615 and entering code 10626. NCDOT held public hearings September 14 in Wilmington and September 15 in Leland, WECT reported.
Carroll said the added comment period would not delay the overall process, with a final alternative expected to be selected in early 2027 alongside a Finding of No Significant Impact, WilmingtonBiz reported. NCDOT is working toward a federal grant obligation milestone of September 30.
Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement: Your questions answered
Why does the bridge need replacing? The bridge, built in 1969, is classified as functionally obsolete and has become increasingly expensive to maintain while struggling with rising traffic volumes, according to NCDOT.
Will there be a toll-free way to cross the river? Yes. The Isabel Holmes Bridge, about two miles north of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, would remain a non-toll option, WECT reported.
What environmental impacts remain with the revised plan? The project would still affect about 10.8 acres of federally regulated wetlands, 0.1 acre of coastal wetlands, and 20.8 acres of the 100-year floodplain, according to the environmental assessment addendum cited by WECT.
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