The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is a steel
vertical-lift bridge
A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck.
The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and sw ...
in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
, USA. It carries
US 17/
US 76/
US 421 across the
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Carol ...
between
Brunswick County and
New Hanover County. It also carried
U.S. Route 74 until that designation was shifted to the Isabel S. Holmes Bridge. It has a lift span that can be raised . The lift span is long.
History
Construction on the bridge began in 1967 and was completed in 1969. The new bridge included a causeway at both ends and an overpass at the west side of the bridge. Since it opened, it has been the only connection on the south side of downtown
Wilmington. A ferry system originally operated from the foot of Market Street to Peter Point. The design of the bridge is a two tower structure with a lift span that is 60 feet above the river, and can be raised to 135 feet to accommodate passing ships.
The NC state port of Wilmington is to the south and downtown Wilmington is north of the bridge.
The bridge received new paint in 1986, new decking in 1996 and a new control system in 2007. after the
Minneapolis bridge incident, all the cross beams were replaced and another paint job was conducted in 2011, and ended in 2012 after multiple delays. After decades of use, proposals have been made to replace the bridge. It is estimated that, by 2035, over 100,000 cars will pass over the bridge each day.
North Carolina Department of Transportation has conducted surveys that the bridge will not be set for that many cars, and a failure could happen if not replaced or majority repaired. The new concepts include a bridge built to the south of the bridge at
US 421
U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for from Fort Fisher, North Caro ...
and a bridge parallel to the current bridge.
$15 million in work was done on the existing bridge in 2019 and a feasibility study on replacing the bridge followed. A proposal for a
toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...
was presented on June 30, 2021.
Gallery
File:Under the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.jpg
File:Cape Fear Memorial Bridge (2013).jpg
File:WilmingtonAerialViewCoastGuard.jpg
File:Cape fear.jpg
See also
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Interstate 140 (North Carolina)
Interstate 140 (I-140) and North Carolina Highway 140 (NC 140) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway and state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Officially designated the John Jay Burney Jr. Freeway, it serves as a bypas ...
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References
External links
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Bridges completed in 1969
Buildings and structures in Brunswick County, North Carolina
Buildings and structures in Wilmington, North Carolina
Vertical lift bridges in the United States
Road bridges in North Carolina
Transportation in Brunswick County, North Carolina
U.S. Route 76
U.S. Route 421
U.S. Route 17
Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System
U.S. Route 74
Towers in North Carolina
Steel bridges in the United States
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