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Resolution In Support of The North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) Application to The U.S. Department Of Transportation's Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) For The Replacement of The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge
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LEGISLATIVE INTENT/PURPOSE:
WHEREAS, the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge (the Bridge), linking US 17, US 76, and US 421 over the Cape Fear River, has been an indispensable conduit for regional transportation and economic development; and,
WHEREAS, the replacement of the Bridge adds an additional lane of capacity for the projected 94,900 vehicles per day that will travel over it in 2050 compared to the 2023 base year counts of 65,200 vehicles per day; and,
WHEREAS, the replacement of the Bridge also adds a 15' multi-use path which will serve as the only bicycle and pedestrian connection between New Hanover County and Brunswick County, which does not currently exist today; and,
WHEREAS, the Bridge is a critical element in facilitating freight movement to and from the Port of Wilmington, ranked number 1 as the most productive port in North America and 44th in the world for 2022, underlining its importance to the regional economy; and,
WHEREAS, assessments from the 2021 Routine Inspection Report designate the Bridge as functionally obsolete; and,
WHEREAS, given the repeated financial investments for its rehabilitation, including $15M in 2019 and an anticipated $15M-$20M in 2024, accompanied by a 20-week one-direction (10-weeks in each direction) traffic shutdown, there exists a pressing imperative for a holistic solution; and,
WHEREAS, the proposed alternatives and design considerations harmonize with both regional and statewide infrastructure development goals, ensuring sustained and efficient traffic flow on one of North Carolina's key Strategic Transportation Corridors; and,
WHEREAS, the most recently available crash data, drawn from the bridge and its contiguous roadways, underscore the urgency of the situation...
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