The Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization voted Wednesday to reaffirm its support for toll options on a replacement for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge — a project for which the future seems to be in legitimate question.
The WMPO’s 13-member board saw four dissenting votes, Navassa Mayor Eulis Willis, Wilmington council members Kevin Spears and Luke Waddell, and Leland Mayor Brenda Bozeman — who spoke against the toll option prior to the vote, speaking both for herself and Leland Town Council.
Among other concerns, including uncertainty about the toll process — like, who would operate a tool, how much it would be, and whether it would stay in place only until the bridge was paid for, or longer — Bozeman also noted that replacements for existing infrastructure can’t legally be tolled. NCDOT considers the replacement option, which would have more lanes, to be “new” infrastructure — which some officials have accepted, and some have criticized as a definitional sleight of hand.
Eight members voted in favor: Wrightsville Beach Mayor Pro Tem Hank Miller, New Hanover County Commissioner Dane Scalise, Carolina Beach Mayor Lynn Barbee, Kure Beach Mayor John Ellen, Pender County Commissioner Brad George, Brunswick County Commissioner Mike Forte (serving as alternate for Commissioner Frank Williams), Belville Mayor Mike Allen, and NCDOT representative Landon Zimmer. New Hanover County Commissioner Bill Rivenbark, who voted in favor last year, was absent at this week’s meeting.
The vote was largely similar to the one taken in 2024, with Spears replacing Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo (who voted ‘nay’ last year), and Scalise replacing former Commissioner Jonathan Barfield (who also voted against the plan last year).
Proponents of the toll often suggest it can be part of a complicated and delicate negotiation, showing the region’s serious commitment to the project and making it more attractive for state and federal grants. If enough grant money can be secured, the toll might then become unnecessary.
Last year, the strategy appeared to paying off, after securing a $242 million federal grant from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. At the time, this represented half the cost of the bridge. But since then, that cost has more than doubled to over a billion dollars. [Note: Inflation doesn’t appear to completely account for the dramatic increase; WHQR will be sitting down with NCDOT in the near future to get more details on this.]
Further, the Trump Administration has ‘paused’ the grant for review. Despite reassurances from Republican Senator Thom Tillis (who crossed party lines to support the infrastructure legislation, and worked to secure the grant for the CFMB replacement ) and Republican Congressman David Rouzer to local delegates from Wilmington and New Hanover County, the uncertainty about the grant — and the increased cost estimate — have left many feeling like a victory for the replacement project was slipping away.
Add to that the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge's advanced age. Completed in 1969, it's considered functionally obsolete by the NCDOT. Last year's expensive and extensive maintenance project secured another decade or two at most — but the clock is certainly ticking, and maintenance costs are increasing every year, as is the potential price tag of eminent domain for properties in a new bridge's path.
Several speakers echoed the need to “trust the process,” as Zimmer told Wilmington leaders last year. Business Alliance for a Sound Economy CEO and president Jerod Patterson, formerly the director of corporate affairs for the City of Wilmington, cited past grant wins, but acknowledged the current situation looked less rosy.
“In the short time since [last year’s vote] the transportation funding landscape has grown increasingly perilous. The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina has estimated damage of $53 billion, including upwards of $10 billion in transportation infrastructure costs alone. In Washington, a shift in fiscal policy could make federal dollars increasingly difficult to secure, while inflation puts upward pressure on project costs,” he said.
Other proponents included Natalie English, president and CEO of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, and John Lennon, a Wilmington Planning Commission member who previously served on the NCDOT board.
While there are technically several options on the table, including a catch-all option for a bridge with a height between 65 and 135 feet, the final decision will come down to recommendations from the U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers. The ‘merger process’ which finalizes bridge designs brings together over a dozen regional, state, and federal agencies, and the NCDOT has said everyone gets a seat at the table — but the Army Corps and Coast Guard have historically had the most clout when it comes to setting height, and are usually hesitant to reduce navigation standards — like bridge height and span, and water depth – when new projects replace existing infrastructure.
The Army Corps has already weighed in, calling for a 135-foot height; the Coast Guard is expected to make a similar recommendation.
Critics, including the Historic Wilmington Foundation, have called on local leaders to take a stronger hand in the process, noting that in addition to reducing cost, a lower fixed height would also spare historic downtown homes on the Wilmington side of the river. Others have noted that a toll could push additional traffic through Wilmington’s Northside and that a toll would, in general, disproportionately impact Brunswick residents, many of whom travel to Wilmington for work and recreation.
Note: This article has been updated to correctly know who was present for the vote.
