A US$450 million contract has been awarded for the replacement of an ageing swing bridge on a critical evacuation route.

North Carolina Board of Transport has awarded the contract to replace the Lindsay C. Warren Bridge over the Alligator River to Skanska USA.

The Lindsay C. Warren Bridge over the Alligator River opens for one of the 4,000 boats that pass through it each year. Credit: NCDOT

The 65-year-old swing bridge, used by 4,000 boats a year, is a critical hurricane evacuation route, providing access between the west of the state and the Outer Banks, a string of island communities on the Atlantic-facing side of Pamlico Sound. It carries Highway 64 over the Alligator River and includes a swing section which is prone to failure, necessitating a 99-mile detour. It has been rated “structurally deficient” and is under a regime of frequent inspections.

The replacement project has been funded partly by a US$110 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration.

The new two-lane fixed span high-rise bridge will lie north of the old crossing. Work will start within weeks, with pile driving. The bridge will open in autumn 2029. The old bridge will be demolished in spring 2030.