12.04.2023
NCDOT: PRESERVATION PROJECT ON CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE TO TEMPORARILY CLOSE PARTS OF BRIDGE
WORK ON THE BRIDGE IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN IN EARLY 2024
Read original update on NCDOT website here
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A preservation project, to extend the life of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, will temporarily close portions of the bridge in the coming months.
Built in 1967, the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is reaching the end of its lifecycle and must be monitored, inspected, and maintained on a more frequent basis. Daily inspections of the steel vertical-lift bridge have shown the need to conduct longer-lasting improvements.
The work scheduled to begin in early 2024 will repair the moveable bridge deck.
Weather and material dependent, the eastbound lanes heading into Wilmington will close as early as Jan. 3. The westbound lanes will remain open to traffic. During this closure, those wanting to drive into Wilmington will detour to take the Isabel Holmes Bridge to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to College Road.
The bridge is scheduled to be open in both directions on April 1-7 for the North Carolina Azalea Festival in downtown Wilmington.
Tentatively, on April 8, contract crews will close the westbound lanes to traffic and reopen before Memorial Day.
The contractor, Southern Road & Bridge LLC, was awarded the $7.1 million contract on Nov. 30. The department has incentivized the company to finish early, potentially earning an extra $500,000.
The N.C. Department of Transportation will continue to update the public as more information becomes available.
For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.
***NCDOT***
MEDIA CONTACT
Lauren Haviland
Lbhaviland [at] ncdot.gov
(919) 707-2677
*This is a North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) project. Brunswick County is not responsible for the accuracy of this information. For the most up-to-date information, visit the NCDOT website or contact NCDOT directly.