RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina government leaders said on Tuesday the state will receive $110 million in federal funds toward construction of a replacement bridge on U.S. Highway 64 that helps link eastern North Carolina to the Outer Banks.
Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis announced separately that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the grant toward the proposed $268 million project. The money originates from the bipartisan infrastructure law approved by Congress in 2021. The state DOT applied for the grant last May.
The new two-lane, fixed-span bridge would cross the Alligator River between Tyrrell and Dare counties. It would replace the current Lindsay B. Warren bridge, which was completed in 1962 and has a swing-span that stops vehicle traffic for approaching boats.
The proposed 3.2-mile replacement bridge, for which Cooper’s office said construction is expected to begin no later than 2025, would be high enough for vehicle and boat traffic to operate unimpeded. The new bridge also would include railings to separate bicycle traffic from vehicle traffic.