The planning for a replacement to the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is being managed by what’s known as a merger team, which helps mediate input from agencies handling environmental concerns, wildlife impacts, historical preservation, and navigation issues. The Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO), which is the regional transportation planning agency for the lower Cape Fear area, is also represented on the merger team.
Related: The past, present, and future of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge (The Newsroom)
One key issue is: how tall will a replacement for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge be? The answer has serious financial implications. A 135-foot fixed-span bridge, currently a top option under consideration, would cost over $400 million dollars. But the lower 65-foot clearance option could end up costing $150 million less.
According to NCDOT Project Development Environmental Engineer T. Mason Herndon, the merger process lets everyone get a say.
“It's very democratic. I mean, everybody's got to give and take…that's the beauty of the merger process, because we have all those agencies sit down at the table, so that we can talk about it to come to a decision," he said.
There is likely to be some disagreement, especially when it comes to the height of the bridge.
Herndon agreed that, in general, the U.S. Coast Guard is more conservative of existing conditions for navigable channels (i.e. bridge clearances, channel depths, etc.). But other agencies will also weigh in, he said, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will have "a lot to say" on the final bridge height, in part because the Port of Wilmington is a civil works project.
Herndon also acknowledged the concerns of the Historic Wilmington Foundation (HWF) about the impact of a 135-foot bridge on the city's historic district and Eagles Island, voiced in a recent opinion piece. While not represented directly in the merger process, HWF's concerns could be taken up by the State Historical Preservation Office, Herndon said. In addition, Herndon said the N.C. Division of Coastal Management would also likely weigh in.
The merger team isn't necessarily limited to existing options on the table, Herndon said, and they could compromise on something in between 135 and 65 feet — say a 90-foot clearance, hypothetically.
One option that's effectively off the table, is a plan for a 65-foot bridge with a moveable span that would include a rail line — part of the larger rail realignment project designed to move freight rail out of Wilmington and onto the western bank of the river.
In 2023, that option was priced at nearly $900 million, more than double the 135-foot vehicle-only bridge.
"We're not looking at that right now. We're keeping these as two independent projects, Federal Highway [Administration] is the lead agency for our project, Federal Rail [Administration] is the lead project for the rail project. We're on different timelines. And so right now we're not really looking at that option," Herndon said.
Herndon said the merger team aims to start working on the height issue in April. There's no specific time line on when a final decision will be made, but he acknowledged the need to "put the public's mind at ease," as well as getting a fixed cost on paper to NCDOT can pursue grants.
NCDOT has not currently identified funding for any version of a Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement. Recently, the WMPO made the controversial decision to consider a proposal for a tolled bridge replacement.
The decision did not authorize a toll, but did allow NCDOT to see whether a tolled bridge could prioritize high enough on the state's project list to get funding. In theory, a cheaper bridge — with its cost mitigated by toll revenue — would score better. And, in theory, with state funding the replacement project could be a more attractive investment for federal grants. And, in theory, with a federal grant in hand, NCDOT could then rescore an toll-free bridge.
In short, a lot would have to go right to end up with a new bridge, largely funded by the federal government and without a toll. But, as some WMPO leaders noted, if things don't go right, NCDOT is still on the hook for maintaining the current bridge — and the WMPO is not committed to approving a toll.
But several WMPO officials disagreed, including Wilmington Councilman Luke Waddell, New Hanover County Commissioner Jonathan Barfied, and — perhaps most forcefully — Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo, who told WHQR earlier this year that, if WMPO voted to explore a toll, it would be the only option they ever got.
