Gov. Cooper Talks Up a $242 Million Grant to Rebuild the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, but People Are Worried
WILMINGTON, NC — Governor Roy Cooper went to Wilmington on Tuesday to talk about a government grant worth $242 million that will be used to rebuild the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.
Part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is the money. The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is one of 13 important bridges across the county that will get more than $5 billion.
The new bridge will cost about $485 million to build. State and local governments will have to pay the other half of the cost.
The new bridge that is being planned will be a 135-foot-high fixed-span bridge that will be built next to the old one.
Gov. Cooper said at the news conference on Tuesday that as the area continues to grow, roads will have to keep up.
Gov. Cooper said, “This bridge is an important link, but its useful life is coming to an end. This community has accepted that harsh reality and has gotten to work.”
Mayor Bill Saffo of Wilmington said that many departments will need to work together on the project.
“This big of a project can’t be done by one person, one party, or one level of government,” Saffo said.
However, not everyone is positive about the new bridge. The home of Elizabeth O’Donnell is on 2nd St. Her historic home from the 1800s would be torn down to make room for the new bridge under the present plan.
O’Donnell said, “You couldn’t pay me enough for this house.” “I love the house and the area where it’s located.”
Isabelle Shepherd, the interim director of the Historic Wilmington Foundation, said that the present 135-foot plan would destroy hundreds of years of history. She said that a 100-foot bridge would have a lot less of an effect.
Shepherd said, “The Historic Wilmington Foundation wants a bridge that is 100 feet or less because it would hurt the Wilmington Historic District the least.”
The current plan for a 135-foot opening would let bigger ships go under the bridge, but Sheperd says that’s not needed for the size of boats that go up the river to the north. She said all she wants is to stay in the house she loves.
She said, “I don’t want to lose my house because someone has a sailboat.”
NCDOT Administrator Joey Hopkins said that the project is just getting started and that there won’t be a start date for work for at least a year. When asked if there would be no more tolls, he wouldn’t say.