A team of PCL Civil Constructors and HDR Engineering had been awarded a US$215.8 design-build contract in 2011 to replace the bridge but objections subsequently brought the project to a standstill.
Governor Pat McCrory’s transportation team has now reached an agreement with the Defenders of Wildlife, the National Wildlife Refuge Association and the Southern Environmental Law Center. Those organisations will now dismiss the state and federal lawsuits that have stalled the construction of the new bridge parallel to the existing one. The Federal Highway Administration is also a party to the settlement.
“Thanks to the hard work of all of the parities, we’ve replaced lawsuits with an agreement that will strengthen our coastal economy and provide motorists with a modern and safer bridge to Hatteras Island,” said McCrory.
He added: “Today, we begin building a bridge that has been more than two decades in the making.”
The Bonner Bridge, which opened for traffic in 1963, connects Hatteras Island, via NC Highway 12, to the North Carolina mainland.
