This page is intended to provide information and accept public comment/questions on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge Replacement Project.

For additional information, please visit the NCDOT webpage:  

https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/cape-fear-bridge-replacement/Pages/default.aspx

Project Overview

Planning and development are underway to replace the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge in Wilmington. The 0.66-mile bridge carries U.S. 17/U.S. 76/U.S. 421 across the Cape Fear River between Brunswick and New Hanover counties. 

The bridge replacement would help improve traffic congestion and mobility on a corridor that connects local communities and carries trucks transporting freight to and from the Port of Wilmington. 

Built in 1969, the existing four-lane, steel vertical-lift bridge is becoming functionally obsolete (a bridge that can no longer effectively service current traffic demands). 

While the existing bridge is safe, it is reaching the end of its lifecycle and must be monitored, inspected and maintained on a more frequent basis.

Traffic delays due to repair and maintenance activities and the operation of the bridge lift cause congestion and make travel times unreliable. The existing bridge also lacks bicycle and pedestrian lanes to support other modes of transportation.​  

For additional information on the project, please visit the NCDOT webpage:  

https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/cape-fear-bridge-replacement/Pages/default.aspx

Environmental Document 

The Environmental Document, an Environmental Assessment,has been completed and is available for review here.

The associated appendices are available here.  This is a very large document and may load slowly.

Alternative Maps

Clicking on either the text or pictures below will open the map or typical section in a new window for easy viewing (zoom control) or downloading.

Alternative A

Moveable Structure​

65-135 foot Vertical Clearance 

Public Hearing Map

Alternate A - Bridge Typical Section

Visualizations

Looking Northeast at Sunrise  

  View from the Riverwalk at Sunset 

Alternative B 

Fixed Structure​

135-foot Vertical Clearance 

Public Hearing Map

Alternative B

Bridge Typical Section

Visualizations

Looking Northeast at Sunrise       

  View from the Riverwalk at Sunset 

3rd Street Looking South

Project Funding:

This project is listed as Project HB-0039 in the N.C. Department of Transportation's State Transportation Improvement Program. The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $242 million grant to aid with funding of the replacement bridge in 2024. The total estimated project cost is $1.1 billion.

Project Timeline: 

* Future dates are subject to change. 

Next Steps

After the comment period ends, the project team will meet to review the comments received and prepare a public comment summary, which will be posted to the project website. NCDOT will meet with local government and agency partners to review public comments in conjunction with subsequent technical studies to select a preferred alternative. The alternative selection is anticipated in Late 2026.

Project Comments:

NCDOT accepts comments throughout all phases of project development.  

All comments will be taken into consideration, and carry equal weight, regardless of submittal method.

Comments for consideration during the current phase of project development

were due by October 15, 2026.

The public is encouraged to leave comments using this email or phone number

or by USPS mail to the project manager listed below:

Email: CapeFearMemorialBridge@publicinput.com

Phone Number: 984-205-6615 and enter project code 10626 to leave a message

Agency Coordination

The information provided is also provided on behalf of the Department of the Army, who will, at a future time, be asked for authorization to discharge dredged or fill material into waters of the United States. 

The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impacts including cumulative impacts of the proposed activity on the public interest.  That decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources.  The benefit which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments.  

For activities involving the discharge of dredged or fill materials in waters of the United States, the evaluation of the impact of the activity on the public interest will include application of the Environmental Protection Agency’s 404(b)(1) guidelines (40 CFR Part 230). 

The Corps of Engineers is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, State and local agencies and officials, including any consolidated State Viewpoint or written position of the Governor; Native American Tribes and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of this proposed activity. Any comments received will be considered by the Corps of Engineers to select the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative (LEDPA) for this proposal.  To make this decision, comments are used to assess impacts on endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects and other public interest factors.  Public interest factors may include, but are not limited to: conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historic properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, flood plain values (in accordance with Executive Order 11988), land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property ownership, and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people.

All comments received will also be evaluated and used in the determination of whether to (1) process this project under an Individual Permit, in which case the Corps will prepare a project specific Environmental Assessment (EA) and/or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to NEPA, or (2) verify that this project meets the terms and conditions for use of Regional General Permit 31 or another general permit.  Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity. 

Although all comments provided on the subject project will be shared between the NCDOT Project Team and the Corps of Engineers, comments may also be provided directly to the Corps of Engineers representative for the subject project: 

Matthew K. Martin
69 Darlington Ave, Wilmington, NC 28403
Matthew.K.Martin@usace.army.mil / (984) 800-3741

Project Manager

Mason Herndon

NCDOT Highway Division 3

5501 Barbados Boulevard

Castle Hayne, NC  28429

CapeFearMemorialBridge@publicinput.com

Title VI Feedback

To ensure we’re hearing from a broad set of voices, would you be willing to share (completely anonymously) some information about yourself?

If so, please click here https://publicinput.com/NCDOT-Title-VI-Form

Resources for Property Owners

Although the N.C. Department of Transportation works to minimize the number of homes and businesses displaced by a road

project, it is inevitable, in many cases, that a certain amount of private property is needed. The following information explains right

of way acquisition and answers questions about the process.  

     
Right-of-Way Brochure Single Page Layout      Folleto del Proceso de Adquisición de Bienes Raíces
Right-of-Way Frequently Asked Questions

Right of Way Acquisition Process Videos

English                                                                     Spanish

Page last updated: May 13, 2026

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