In mid-September, New Hanover County commissioners wrote to U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd and Congressman David Rouzer, asking for assistance on several factors in the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement project.
The aging bridge, while structurally sound, is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain and cannot keep up with growing traffic levels, according to NCDOT. However, a proposed replacement project for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge (CFMB) has run into significant criticism from the City of Wilmington, Leland, New Hanover County, and other stakeholders over its impact on environmentally sensitive and historical areas and properties, its traffic impacts (especially for the longer of two designs, which would drop vehicles onto residential streets), and the likelihood of a toll due to the high cost.
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County commissioners asked their federal delegation for both an updated study of the navigational needs along the river and additional funding.
The current parameters of the river date back to work done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and U.S. Coast Guard in the 1990s, and local officials have argued that significant changes in land-use practice and policy north of the CFMB warrant a fresh look at what the required depth, width, and height clearance should be. Those parameters, including a required 135-foot clearance, are significant cost drivers. For example, the City of Wilmington hired a consultant to present potential alternative designs and, while they’re still under consideration by NCDOT and not considered official options, a high-level cost estimate puts their cost at roughly half of the current NCDOT-proposed designs.
Additionally, commissioners asked that, if a review still requires the 135-foot clearance, that “it is appropriate for the federal government to provide greater cost-sharing to replace the bridge if it is confirmed that this approach is still most appropriate.” The county noted it was appreciative of the $242 million federal grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) currently on the table. That grant has created a ticking clock for the project; if it is not extended, it will expire if funds are not obligated to a project by September 20, 2027.
After the letter was sent, Drew Heath, a federal lobbyist for the county who works with the Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP firm, traveled to Washington to advocate for the commissioners’ request. At the end of September, Heath provided an update to Tim Buckland, the county’s intergovernmental affairs manager (and former StarNews reporter).
Heath noted that on September 23 and 24 he met in person with staff from Tillis, Budd, and Rouzer.
“I started each meeting by thanking them for the work they have done so far for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge Replacement Project. I provided an overview of the current funding ($242 million federal grant; $85 million state funding) and the political consequences of funding a substantial portion of the project with tolls,” Heath wrote.
Heath said there were two primary concerns raised by Congressional staff in response to the county’s request for an undated navigational needs study north of the CFMB.
“First, there was a consensus that a navigational assessment would significantly delay the Project to the point that the $242 million grant would be jeopardized,” Heath wrote. “Second, there was a belief that the Army Corps of Engineers had determined that the Cape Fear River is ‘navigable’ all the way up to Fayetteville, and that any threat of lowering recommended bridge heights (below the 65/135 feet thresholds, for example) would be met with stiff opposition from commercial landowners whose property borders the river, up to and including litigation.”
Heath wrote that he had not yet vetted the second concern. WHQR asked USACE for comment on the issue and will update this article with any response.
On the grant concern, Heath noted that he reiterated that the county was “not interested in pursuing the navigational assessment if it would be harmful to the overall project” and that “preserving the $242 million grant was our first goal.”
According to Heath, all of the staff members agreed “it would be prudent to explore how to extend the obligation deadline,” with Rouzer’s office being the most engaged.
“Rouzer’s office seemed to be the most engaged on that issue, and we discussed how there is precedent for extensions under similar programs such as ARPA. I will continue to work with Rouzer’s office on that issue,” Heath wrote.
Heath said he also discussed accessing $45 billion in the proposed House Bill 8870 Build America Act — that’s a $580 billion, five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill.
Also discussed was the Blatnik Bridge, a major transportation project to replace a 1961 bridge connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin. The bridge is jointly managed by both states’ transportation departments; the project received roughly $1 billion in federal funding in 2024.
“My preliminary research shows that the Blatnik project has some similarities but also major differences from our Project. I will provide a more in-depth analysis on what we can learn from the Blatnik project in the coming days,” he wrote.
Heath said all the offices agreed it would “be wise” to have a stakeholder meeting around funding options.
“For this project, Rep. Rouzer’s office has been working most closely with NCDOT Deputy Secretary Julie White and NCDOT Federal Liaison Heather Millett. I will work with Tom Fetzer [the county’s state lobbyist] to confirm alignment with NCDOT,” Heath wrote.
Heath said his proposed action items were to come back with a case study based on the Blatnik Bridge project, working to make sure the $242-million BIL grant remained secure and pursuing an extension on the current deadline, and working with Fetzer to keep the county and NCDOT on the same page in making a joint request for federal and other funding requests.
The county said it had no further update on the process at this time.
However, on Tuesday, Rouzer told Port City Daily at a Brunswick County transportation summit that he was working on extending the grant funding or securing additional funding, with the former being more likely. Rouzer said he “can’t promise an end result, just my best effort,” and that a continuing resolution to extend the BIL funding for a CMFB replacement was “not easy” but also “not unprecedented.”
