Governor McCrory Announces State to Move Forward With Bonner Bridge Replacement | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Nags Head, N.C.- Governor Pat McCrory issued the following statement after his transportation team reached an agreement that gives the go-ahead for the construction of a parallel bridge to replace the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge.

    "This settlement shows what we can accomplish when we come together and focus on reaching a sensible solution that puts the needs of the people of North Carolina above all else," Governor McCrory said. "Thanks to the hard work of all of the parities, we've replaced lawsuits with an agreement that will strengthen our coastal economy and provide motorists with a modern and safer bridge to Hatteras Island."

    The agreement was reached with the Defenders of Wildlife, the National Wildlife Refuge Association and the Southern Environmental Law Center. Those organizations will dismiss state and federal lawsuits which have stalled the construction of a replacement for the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge. The Bonner Bridge, which opened for traffic in 1963, connects Hatteras Island, via NC Highway 12, to the North Carolina mainland. The Federal Highway Administration is also a party to this settlement.

    Going forward, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) will cancel work on the Pea Island bridge project and study options to move storm vulnerable portions of Highway 12 out of the southern portion of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and into the Pamlico Sound.

    DOT will also study options for Pamlico Sound structures to address the Mirlo Beach area and Pea Island Inlet created by Hurricane Irene.

    "This is an historic day for the people who call the Outer Banks home and the millions of visitors who travel here each year," Governor McCrory said. "Today, we begin building a bridge that has been more than two decades in the making."

• Contact: Crystal Feldman
•     govpress@nc.gov