NC environmental regulators OK Outer Banks bridge
North Carolina environmental regulators have signed off on a plan to replace the nearly 50-year-old bridge spanning Oregon Inlet and linking Hatteras Island to points north such as Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills.
Posted — UpdatedThe Division of Coastal Management announced Thursday its decision to issue the permit to the state Department of Transportation to build the 2.8-mile Bonner Bridge replacement and demolish the existing bridge when the new structure is complete. The permit followed a public comment period and reviews by more than a dozen federal and state agencies.
The new bridge will parallel the existing one.
Other permits are still required before construction can begin early next year on the $200 million-plus project. Environmental groups have sued to try to prevent the replacement plans from going forward. They prefer a longer bridge going out into Pamlico Sound.
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