The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge will be reopening ahead of schedule.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Chad Kimes from the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced that the bridge will begin the reopening process on Wednesday, March 8th.
It marks the conclusion of more than three months of construction. During that time, workers repaired the grid deck, support beams, and stringers. The project was initially slated for completion on May 23. But Kimes said crews will begin the reopening process at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
"The department has worked closely with its partners," he stated in a press release right after the meeting, "which has proven to be key to getting critical messages out, and of course, finishing this project early.”
It's welcome news to commuters, who have faced much heavier traffic this year due to lane closures. The eastbound side shut down in late January and reopened in April; the westbound side shut down in April. The latter was particularly frustrating for Brunswick County residents, who saw their commute times to and from Wilmington double or triple. Brunswick County Commissioner Frank Williams thanked locals for their patience.
"The people of this community are resilient and adaptive and they made things work," he said.
There's still some work left. Kimes said the reopening process itself will take several hours – 7 p.m. on Wednesday is just the start time. Then, starting on Thursday, road crews will need to block traffic again: they need to remove the bridge's platform and lift the bridge to change its counterweights. This work will be completed over a ten-day period, with work being done between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. The NCDOT is asking commuters to avoid the bridge during that time and monitor NCdrive.gov for traffic information.
During the press conference, Kimes also said that NCDOT will be awarding the contractor a $500,000 bonus for completing the project ahead of schedule.
