Description

Currently, there are two active projects associated with the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge:

• Bonner Bridge Repair Work (TIP No. B-5014), which includes the repairs needed for the bridge to remain in service without weight restrictions for the next 10 years.
• Bonner Bridge Replacement Project (TIP No. B-2500), which includes the replacement of the existing bridge and provides for the long-term retention of N.C. 12 between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe.

Repairs to the bridge are ongoing. The replacement project is in the preliminary engineering phase. Preliminary designs are being developed, and environmental studies are being completed to quantify and document the project’s potential impacts to natural resources and the local community.

The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, located in Dare County, crosses Oregon Inlet and provides the only highway connection between Hatteras Island and mainland North Carolina. The Bonner Bridge is a part of N.C. 12.

Project News

Bridge Repair Work

News and Updates

NCDOT completed its latest repair project on May 9. It included repairing the steel and painting three of the main spans of the Bonner Bridge over the main channel. Astron General Contractors was originally scheduled to start work on the $741,000 project in late summer 2011, but the repairs were postponed until this spring due to the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Additional repair work is planned for later this year.

Project Overview and Purpose

An in-depth structural condition assessment of the bridge, completed in December 2006, determined what kinds of repairs were needed. The assessment gave the bridge a sufficiency rating of four out of 100. That does not mean the bridge is unsafe. It means that, after studying a number of factors including bridge inspection results, traffic volumes and road widths, engineers used a standard formula to rate the bridge’s ability to remain in service. Based on those calculations, they consider the bridge “structurally deficient” and in need of replacement.

The sufficiency rating for the Bonner Bridge results from three main factors:

• Soil erosion has occurred over time around the original pilings on the south end of the bridge, and support pilings have been added;
• The bridge is not wide enough for the amount of traffic it carries; and
• Motorists would have to take a 100-mile detour if the bridge had to be taken out of service.

The bridge repair work will ensure the bridge continues to serve as a viable transportation link to the Outer Banks until it is replaced.

Fore more information about bridge inspections, ratings and terminology, please visit our North Carolina Bridge Information Web site.

Bridge Replacement Project (B-2500)

News and Updates

Phase I

After two decades of extensive environmental study and public outreach, the N.C. Department of Transportation awarded on July 26, 2011 a contract to replace the Bonner Bridge. Secretary Gene Conti awarded the $215.8 million contract to the design-build team of PCL Civil Constructors Inc. and HDR Engineering Inc. of the Carolinas. The contract amount is $25.8 million less than NCDOT’s estimated cost to build the new bridge.

To ensure the new bridge stands strong for decades to come, NCDOT required the three design-build teams vying for the contract to substitute stainless reinforcing steel for traditional black reinforced steel in much of the bridge. Stainless steel is considerably more durable and is not subject to the extensive corrosion typical of black reinforced steel in the harsh coastal environment where the bridge is located.

The department also required that the teams add special mineral and chemical mixtures to the concrete used to build the bridge to increase its durability. With these factors, NCDOT expects the new bridge to last more than 100 years.

Of the three teams, the department determined that PCL Civil Constructors Inc. and HDR Engineering Inc. of the Carolinas provided the best overall value for the project. The team had the lowest cost, anticipates completing the project sooner than its competitors, and requires minimal impacts to Bodie Island and the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Design work is under way, with construction beginning in late 2012. PCL Civil Constructors is set to open the new bridge to traffic in spring 2015 and demolish the majority of the existing bridge in 2016. A portion of the existing bridge will remain in place and be transformed into a fishing pier.

Phase II

NCDOT is developing long-term solutions for the breaches caused by Hurricane Irene on the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and in Rodanthe in August. This process is considered Phase II of the Bonner Bridge Replacement Project.

The department will hold three public workshops to discuss the design options under consideration for each breach. NCDOT will hold the public workshops on:

Monday, Dec. 5, from 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
Dare County Administration Building
954 Marshall C. Collins Dr., Manteo

Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Center
23186 Myrna Peters Rd., Rodanthe

Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012 from 5-7 p.m.
Ocracoke Community Center
1009 Irvin Garrish Hwy., Ocracoke

The meetings are informal, and citizens are welcome to drop in at any time during the stated hours. NCDOT representatives will be available to explain the design options under consideration for each breach and answer any questions.

Pea Island Breach Design Options

• Beach nourishment - A beach nourishment option would leave N.C. 12 in its current location. You can see the area proposed for beach nourishment, as well as some additional dunes, on this map.
• Road on new location – This option would move the road to the west of where NCDOT thinks the shoreline will be by 2060. See it on this map.
• Bridge on new location – This option would move N.C. 12 onto a bridge to the west of its current location. This area is west of where NCDOT thinks the shoreline will be by 2060. Click to see the map.
• Bridge within easement – This option would elevate N.C. 12 onto a bridge within the existing easement, next to the temporary bridge. To see it on the map, click here.

Rodanthe Breach Design Options

• Beach nourishment - The beach nourishment option would leave N.C. 12 where it is now. It also includes the construction and maintenance of high dunes north of Mirlo Beach. Click to see it on the map.
• Bridge within easement with beach nourishment – This option would elevate N.C. 12 onto a bridge within the existing easement. It would end just south of the refuge border and include a short section of beach nourishment to protect the roadway in Mirlo Beach and Rodanthe. See it on this map.
• Bridge within easement - This option would also elevate N.C. 12 onto a bridge within the existing easement. It would end just north of the community center and not require beach nourishment. Click to see it on the map.
• Bridge in Pamlico Sound - This option would construct an approximately 2.5-mile bridge that would extend into the Pamlico Sound and connect back to Rodanthe just north of the Historic District. See the map here for more detail.

The public is urged to share their ideas, thoughts and suggestions on these options with department staff. Citizens can give their opinions to staff at the public hearings, or submit them by traditional mail, email or phone as shown in the meeting packet. The public comment period ends on Jan. 20, 2012. NCDOT will use the feedback received to help determine the best solution for each breach.

Lawsuit

NCDOT has filed its response to a lawsuit initiated by national organizations regarding the Bonner Bridge Replacement Project on N.C. 12 in Dare County. The 25-page document provides NCDOT’s response to the allegations made by the plaintiffs. The court will review the response and determine the schedule for the next steps in the legal process.

To keep the public updated on this important project, the department has posted these legal documents below:

• Bonner Complaint
• State Defendants’ Answer

Project Overview and Purpose

The Bonner Bridge Replacement Project consists of replacing the existing Bonner Bridge and providing for the long-term retention of N.C. 12 between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe. The planning studies required by federal law were completed with the issuance of the ROD on December 20, 2010. The purposes of the project are to:

• Provide a new means of access from Bodie Island to Hatteras Island for its residents, businesses, services and tourists prior to the end of the Bonner Bridge's service life;
• Replace the bridge with a design that serves navigation needs, while also allowing natural channel movement and reducing future dredging needs; and
• Provide a replacement crossing that shoreline movement will not endanger through 2050.

NCDOT examined a total of eight detailed study alternatives within two corridors before selecting a preferred alternative in 2010. This alternative is detailed in the Record of Decision.

The Selected Alternative, called the Parallel Bridge Corridor with N.C. 12 Transportation Management Plan includes building the replacement bridge (Parallel Bridge Corridor or “short bridge”) just west of where the Bonner Bridge currently stands in Phase I of the project. The exact plan for future phases of the project between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe would be determined later, based on actual coastal conditions. NCDOT would monitor conditions on N.C. 12 to determine when future phases of the project should be implemented. Any of the N.C. 12 alternatives (beach nourishment, road relocation and bridging) previously studied as part of the Parallel Bridge Corridor could be considered for future phases.

Project Highlights

• Phase I of the project will consist of a new bridge just west of the existing bridge.
• Later phases of the project will be determined using the results of a detailed coastal monitoring program to be implemented within the project study area. Future phases could consist of beach nourishment, roadway relocation or bridging. Maps showing the alternatives that could be used for future phases of the project can be found below.

Archive

• Parallel Bridge Corridor Public Hearing Maps
  • Parallel Bridge Corridor Key Map (3.6 MB)
  • Parallel Bridge Corridor - Nourishment Alternative (Maps 1-4) (6.7 MB)
  • Parallel Bridge Corridor - Road North/Bridge South and All Bridge Alternatives (Maps 1-4) (13.7 MB)
  • Parallel Bridge Corridor - Phased Approach Alternative (Maps 1-4) (16.3 MB)
  • Parallel Bridge Corridor - All Alternatives (Map 5) (4.1 MB)
• Environmental Assessment (EA)
  • Bonner Bridge Environmental Assessment (EA) (19 MB)
• Revised Final Section 4(f) Evaluation
  • Revised Final Section 4(f) Evaluation (13 MB)
• Final Environmental Impact Statement
  • FEIS Summary and Chapters (19 MB)
  • FEIS Appendix A-D (37 MB)
  • FEIS Appendix E-G (23 MB)
• Record of Decision
  • Record of Decision (ROD) (13.5 MB)
  • Public Comments on the EA
  • General Comments (4.7 MB)
  • Public Hearing Transcripts (730 KB)
  • Replace the Bridge Now (RTBN) Comments
  • Email Comments (568 total) (1.7 MB)
  • Form Letter Comments 1-10 (1000 total) (34 MB)
  • Form Letter Comments 11-20 (1019 total) (34.7 MB)
  • Form Letter Comments 21-30 (1000 total) (40 MB)
  • Form Letter Comments 31-33 (269 total) (13.4 MB)
  Information about the design-build process for Phase I of the project can be found here.

Project Photos

Contact Information

Resources for Local Property Owners

In many cases, it is inevitable that a certain amount of private property must be acquired. The displacement of homes and businesses is minimized to the extent practicable. The following brochures will answer questions about this process.