HATTERAS, N.C. — The new bridge over the Oregon Inlet opened to traffic on Monday!
The bridge replaces the Bonner Bridge to connect N.C. Highway 12 and Hatteras Island to the mainland.
The new bridge roadway rises 90.5 feet above the water at its highest point. The high-rise portion is 3,500 feet long.
In July 2011, the state issued a design-build contract with construction scheduled to begin in early 2013, but lawsuits filed by environmental groups delayed the process until they were settled in 2015. Construction began in March 2016.
The old Bonner Bridge, which was built in 1963, will be demolished, and plans are to beef up the existing reefs off the Outer Banks with 80,000 tons of concrete from that span.
Officials say 1,000 feet of the old bridge will be preserved as a pedestrian walkway.
The formal dedication of the bridge is scheduled for April 2.