This week, we learned that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now accepting public comment on an environmental permit for the long-planned toll bridge over the Currituck Sound that would run between the mainland and Corolla.
The Mid-Currituck Bridge would cross seven miles of open water and swampland between Aydlett and the Currituck Outer Banks, linking U.S. 158 and N.C. 12.
The bridge has been discussed by local and state officials for the last five decades, and planning has been underway for well over 20 years by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and N.C. Turnpike Authority.
Legal challenges have held up the project, but appear to have reached a conclusion following a ruling last February by a federal appeals court that turned back a 2019 lawsuit claiming environmental assessments for the bridge were outdated.
The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and No Mid-Currituck Bridge/Concerned Citizens and Visitors Opposed to the Mid-Currituck Bridge, did not appeal the Fourth Circuit’s ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Construction dates and costs are still listed as “to be determined” on the N.C. Department of Transportation’s website, but estimates are the bridge will cost over $1 billion.
State Sen. Bobby Hanig (R-Currituck) said this summer that the project could go out for bid next year, with construction starting in 2026.
In July, the Albemarle Rural Planning Organization informed members that a timeline for right-of-way purchases and construction will not be known until all permits are approved.
Along with the Corps of Engineers, permits from the U.S. Coast Guard, N.C. Division of Water Quality, and N.C. Division of Coastal Management are required.
While the N.C. Department of Transportation has already purchased property where the bridge will land in Corolla, they have not contacted some property and business owners on the mainland side since at least 2020.
Financing options for the project will have to be updated once the permitting process is complete, and that will also dictate how much drivers will have to pay to use the bridge.
However, there have been some recent signs of preparations for construction.
A contractor from the Triad-area has been drilling for soil samples along the proposed bridge path on land and in the water since September.
On October 21, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District announced a one-month comment period has opened on the N.C. Turnpike Authority’s request for a permit under the federal Clean Water Act.
Among the measures the turnpike authority plans to take “to avoid and/or minimize impacts to the aquatic environment” with the project include bridging extensive wetlands in Maple Swamp between U.S. 158 and the Currituck Sound.
“Wetlands in the alignment of the Maple Swamp bridge will be hand-cleared and the final bridge will be about 10 feet above the surface of the wetland which will allow for free wildlife movement and passage of any flood waters under the bridge infrastructure. The inclusion of a bridge rather than a causeway across Maple Swamp reduced the wetland fill acreage by approximately 36 acres.”
Temporary construction trestles, similar to those used to build the Basnight Bridge over Oregon Inlet, will be utilized in the shallow waters of Currituck Sound to minimize impacts to submerged aquatic vegetation, matting for equipment that has to cross wetlands, and reduced slopes of bridge approaches to minimize the use of fill.
Pilings will be driven, rather than jetting, to minimize the amount of sediment that is disturbed in the sound, and it is not anticipated that test pilings will be driven in Maple Swamp.
An interchange with a flyover is planned for where the bridge complex will intersect with U.S. 158 south of Coinjock, which according to the application has been configured to minimize wetlands impacts.
A traffic circle is proposed for the N.C. 12 side at the intersection with North Harbor View Drive.
Written comment on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Clean Water Act permit application will be accepted until November 21 at 5 p.m., by email to Kyle Barnes at kyle.w.barnes@usace.army.mil, or in writing to Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District, Attention: Kyle Barnes, 2407 West 5th Street, Washington, North Carolina 27889.
Courtesy of SamWalkerOBXNews.com