Travelling to and from Wilmington will be more complicated starting today.
The N.C. Dept. of Transportation said both east bound lanes of U.S. 74-76 at the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge will close today (Jan. 29) at 7 p.m. The closure is expected to last through March 31. The westbound lanes will not be impacted during this time.
Closing both lanes of the bridge is necessary, as contract crews are replacing the grid deck and its support beams, known as stringers.
During the closure, drivers can take Isabel Holmes Bridge, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and College Road or Interstate 140. NCDOT will use message boards to alert drivers to the optimal route. Maps of the detour and links to DriveNC can be found here.
While the N.C. Department of Transportation plans to have all lanes of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge open to traffic for the Azalea Festival, April 1-8. The contractor plans to continue work on April 9, closing the westbound lanes. It’s important to note the contractor is working under an aggressive schedule.
NCDOT provided these updates during a press conference on Thursday. The video will be uploaded here. The department encourages the media and public to continue to utilize ncdot.gov/CFMBrehab for the latest updates and detour information.
For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.
