WILMINGTON — The next step in the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement project is to make a determination on a 65-foot, 100-foot and 135-foot option; per emails to county staff this is anticipated in March 2025. The public has the chance to share their opinion on the bridge height until then, with the Historic Wilmington Foundation already voicing its preference.
READ MORE: Governor joins area leaders to boast CF Memorial Bridge grant
The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are charged with determining the vertical height clearance of the new bridge, which is currently 65-feet tall. It has a movable span opening up to 135 feet, but this component, along with the bridge’s 56-year-old age, has increased the costs of maintenance. North Carolina Department of Transportation has said it costs around $500,000 annually for upkeep.
The Coast Guard utilizes what’s called a Navigational Impact Report and comments from the public to reach the preliminary navigational clearance determination. It then evaluates the traffic, waterway configuration, existing structures, and the proposed project.
Because the Cape Fear River is managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers 408 Section, the Coast Guard will “rely heavily” on USACE’s input in determining the clearance, according to Mike Kozlosky, director of the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Kozlosky explained this in an email to New Hanover County Manager Chris Coudriet, who asked the director a question following the receipt of the Wilmington Historic Foundation’s letter advocating for a 65-foot span.
“I know the US Coast Guard advocates for the higher span, but is there a purely transportation benefit?” Coudriet asked.
Kozlosky explained USACE has issued a public comment period that began Jan. 31 and will expire on March 3. People can submit their comments at USACE’s website.
The Historic Wilmington Foundation has been pushing for the elimination of any bridge option above 100 feet since the Navigation Impact Report was released last July. It submitted another letter to USACE, which it also directed to the county commissioners on Feb. 10, claiming 100-foot maximum is the only option that is not overly injurious to the public interest.
“It is the cheapest, easiest and quickest to fund; will not require tolls; minimizes damage to Wilmington’s culturally and economically important historic district and USS North Carolina Memorial; minimizes damage to low income neighborhoods and minority owned businesses along the Dawson/Wooster corridor; and is less damaging to wetlands on the Brunswick side,” William Stoltz, executive director Historic Wilmington Foundation, wrote in the letter.
Price points for the bridge have been released for two options: $765.9 million for a 65-foot bridge with a moveable span and $452.9 million for a 135-foot fixed-span bridge. While the construction costs are lower for the latter, right-of-way acquisition is more expensive; 67 properties may be affected by the new bridge construction.
A price has not yet been released for the 100-foot fixed-span option. Port City Daily asked the North Carolina Department of Transportation about when it would be released. NCDOT senior staff didn’t have definitive pricing yet, but said with rising costs in the last year, all three options likely will have different estimates.
“Inflation has led to relatively significant cost increases across several of the construction estimate line items since the original 65’ movable concept and 135’ fixed concept estimates were generated,” NCDOT spokesperson Andrew Barksdale wrote in an email to Port City Daily. “Once the new 100’ fixed concept was developed, the decision was made to update unit costs for all 3 of the concepts (65’ movable, 135’ fixed, and 100’ fixed).”
The height of the bridge not only determines impact area — the 135 foot option would extend the bridge’s footprint to Fifth Avenue — but also the cost and, thus, how much the taxpayers may be put on the hook for via tolls.
For years, the bridge replacement has not scored well on the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s 10-year evaluation — until last year. The project was submitted twice: once with a toll option and again without. The non-tolled option ranked 241, with the toll option ranking in the top 10 and NCDOT committing $85 million to it.
Since the ranking, the NCDOT has been trying to garner grant funding to offset the overall cost, and thus, the amount left up for tolling. The project was awarded a $242 million grant, the most allowed under the federal government’s Bridge Investment Program, part of Biden’s Infrastructure Law.
Port City Daily asked NCDOT last month if the grant is in peril due to the federal funding freeze executed in January by the Trump administration. The news was fresh off the press, so the agency was still assessing how the freeze could affect the grants, such as for the CF Memorial Bridge.
NCDOT representative Barksdale said Monday:
“Locally, we have not been directed to pause or hold on any work, and we are continuing to complete the planning phase of this project. We will continue to review and evaluate potential project costs for different design options to replace the bridge, so we have as much information as possible.”
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined 22 attorneys general to sue the Trump administration to stop its temporary federal freeze on grants, loans, and assistance on Jan. 28.
“Various federal agencies have chaotically and unevenly begun suspending access to a wide range of funds,” Jackson wrote in a release. “Although it’s not clear which programs and funds will be suspended, the announcement has left government agencies and other organizations across North Carolina uncertain about the services they can provide in upcoming weeks.”
U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Trump administration from barring funds to states. On Feb. 10, the judge issued another directive demanding the Trump administration’s compliance after finding it failed to adhere to the order. Court filings last week show the Trump administration has used various legal loopholes to maintain some funding freezes.
NCDOT said it applied for two other federal grants associated with the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (INFRA and MEGA) last year. It did not receive either and when asked whether there were plans to apply for other grants, NCDOT said it would not before its board votes on the 2026-2035 State Transportation Improvement Program, to happen this summer. However, it could seek other funds after approval.
In its letter, the Historic Wilmington Foundation claimed the one grant NCDOT secured could be in jeopardy if the department doesn’t get all its environmental reviews completed by September 2026. The foundation claims additional studies could be called for if the 135-foot bridge option is chosen because of its large scope.
According to NCDOT, the grant does not expire, though the department does have a schedule to adhere to per the grant terms. This includes having the environmental impact document and grant agreement complete by September 2026. NCDOT stated both of these items are on track.
The Historic Wilmington Foundation uses several other items in the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge Navigational Impact Report to make its argument for a bridge limited below 100 feet.
The NIR shows there has been a sharp decline in bridge lifts to accommodate vessels taller than 65 feet; 381 openings accommodating 188 vessels (many of the openings were for maintenance or training) compared to 2023, with 168 openings serving 69 vessels. This marks a 63% decrease since 2019, the biggest drop from 2022 to 2023, which is attributed some to the relocation of Kinder Morgan — an energy infrastructure company that moved from north of the bridge to south of it in June 2023.
Since the relocation, there have been no bridge lift calls.
The NIR anticipates if Kinder Morgan was replaced with a similar industrial use, bridge lift calls would increase. It also noted deepening the channel could attract more activity, though noted there were no plans to deepen it north of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge (USACE’s ongoing harbor deepening project would be south of the bridge).
Aside from industrial ships, cruise ships also need deeper water to navigate than the river can now offer and also require a cruise ship terminal, which the Historic Wilmington Foundation pointed out is not planned at this time.
Still, the HWF points out there are other barriers to large ship passage north of the bridge, including the S. Thomas Rhodes Bridge at US 421/74/NC 133, with a vertical clearance of 55 feet, and the Dan Cameron Bridge at Interstate 140 measuring 65 feet.
Additionally, the foundation pointed out the NIR states all three bridge height options under consideration will meet commercial and recreational navigation needs.
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