RALEIGH, NC (WAVY) — A settlement agreement finalized Monday is several years in the making and allows the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to replace the aging Herbert C. Bonner Bridge.
Document: Bonner Bridge Settlement Agreement
Plans to replace the bridge with a new parallel bridge over the Oregon Inlet have been on hold as state official and conservation groups tried to negotiate a compromise. As part of the agreement, once certain tasks are completed, the conservation groups will dismiss both federal and state lawsuits.
“It’s the lifeline of everybody down the beach here,” said charter boat captain Reese Stecher, who works out of Oregon Inlet. “I’ve seen pieces of the bridge this big fall, and it doesn’t take a piece but that big to hit you,” he said.
At a news conference Monday afternoon, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory said the settlement was long overdue.
“I am proud and happy to announce today that the state of North Carolina will finally replace the aging Bonner Bridge with a new parallel bridge right here across the Oregon Inlet,” McCrory said.
Stecher said he’ll believe it when he sees it. “I think it’s needed, and when they closed down last year or two years ago, people that live in Hatteras can’t get back and forth to work. Shuts everything down,” he said.
“You know, you can’t beat Mother Nature, but you can give it a good fight, and this bridge was not going to win that fight,” Gov. McCrory said. “A new, better-designed bridge for the long term, for future generations, is going to be a great attribute of connecting not only our two states, but the entire Atlantic coast.”
Derb Carter’s law center represented the conservation groups. He explained how the legal battle started.
“The agencies, in planning for the replacement of Bonner Bridge, did not comply, in our view, with federal law, primarily because they neglected to address the impacts of maintaining Highway 12 through the National Wildlife Refuge,” Carter said.
“We appreciate the efforts of all parties to agree on a viable solution that best serves the people and interests of North Carolina,” said NCDOT Secretary Tony Tata. “The settlement agreement will allow NCDOT to provide a safe and reliable bridge for thousands of residents who rely on this lifeline to get to work, school, and healthcare and for millions of visitors who travel to the Outer Banks every year.”
Before conservation groups drop the lawsuits, NCDOT has to cancel a contract for a permanent bridge it had been building on Pea Island. The agency said it did that Monday. It also has to come up with a plan to build a three-mile bridge coming out of Mirlo Beach and Rodanthe and connecting back into NC 12.
“We will consider other options of moving vulnerable portions of Highway 12 out of the southern portion of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and into the Pamlico Sound,” Tata said.
NCDOT officials said construction of the new bridge will cost about $216 million and should take about three years to complete, likely starting next spring.
Senator Bill Cook (R-District 1) released the following statement on the agreement:
It’s a great day for the residents of the Outer Banks and the millions of visitors that travel to the area each year. I’m extremely thankful and grateful that this agreement has been reached to replace the Bonner Bridge. The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a place of natural beauty. The Outer Banks is the birthplace of America, birthplace of aviation, and a destination for millions of visitors,” Sen. Bill Cook (R-District 1) said. “About 2.4 million visitors travel from all around the world each year to see the outstanding wildlife and environmental beauty of the Outer Banks. According to the N.C. Department of Commerce the economic impact from tourism in Dare County is ranked #4 among North Carolina’s 100 counties. This bridge replacement will allow for continued growth.
Rep. Paul Tine also praised the work that resulted in the agreement:
Bonner Bridge has long been a concern for the people of the Outer Banks who have endured years of litigation and delay. I am very pleased that we have reached a compromise and are able to move forward with the replacement of Bonner Bridge. Secretary Tata, the Governor, and their team have done great work, and I look forward to seeing construction begin.
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