Federal grant for Alligator River Bridge hailed again, this time at the water’s edge

Gov. Roy Cooper and Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt posed for pictures together on a dock along the Alligator River late Thursday morning, with the U.S. 64 bridge stretched out behind them.

The two men had just delivered speeches on the river’s shore toasting a $110 million federal grant that will allow the N.C. Department of Transportation to replace the 60-year-old bridge starting in 2025.

The grant was announced more than two months ago. But Cooper and Bhatt made the trip to sparsely populated Tyrrell County on Thursday to draw attention to the project and the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed in late 2021. The Biden administration considers the bill one of its signature achievements, and the podium where Bhatt, Cooper and others spoke had a placard that read “Building a Better America” under the president’s name.

But Bhatt also emphasized the bipartisan support for the bill and noted that Biden and Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell recently met at a similar event to celebrate the bill’s role in replacing an aging bridge over the Ohio River.

“There’s a lot that divides Americans today. But infrastructure is one of the few things that still binds us together,” he said. “There’s no Republican roads, no Democratic bridges. And if President Biden and Sen. McConnell can stand together on a bridge, I think it’s a great sign that we can use investment in infrastructure to help bond Americans more tightly.”

Cooper and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, separately and almost simultaneously, announced the grant on Jan. 3. And while he wasn’t at the river’s edge Thursday, Tillis, a Republican, issued a statement highlighting his role in negotiating the law.

“I am proud to have advocated for this funding, and thank local officials in both counties for their tireless advocacy for this grant as well,” he said. “It’s clear that the bipartisan infrastructure law is already bringing major investments to our great state.”

NCDOT will use the federal grant to build a $278 million 3.2-mile bridge next to the existing one, connecting Dare and Tyrrell counties. The new bridge will be wider, with shoulders and higher guardrails. It will also include 65 feet of clearance over the navigation channel, eliminating the swing-span that now brings traffic to a halt when it opens to let boats pass or occasionally breaks down.

Bridge a ‘lifeline’ for Eastern North Carolina

The bridge is a vital link between the Outer Banks and the rest of North Carolina, for both residents and visitors, and when it’s shut down the detour is about 100 miles, said David Clegg, the Tyrrell County manager.

“This bridge also means more than going to shop and vacation on the Outer Banks for Tyrrell County,” Clegg said. “That’s the way we go to the hospital. That’s the way we go to the airport. That’s the way we go to employment.”

Besides day-to-day use and the crucial role it plays in the Outer Banks economy, the bridge is also critical to getting people off the barrier islands ahead of a storm, said Bob Woodard, who heads the Dare County Board of Commissioners.

“It will be a life-saving tool in the event of hurricane evacuations,” Woodard said. “The people of Dare County are grateful for this grant from the federal government.”

Cooper said that $16 million from the federal grant will be used to install broadband internet along U.S. 64 from Rocky Mount to Nags Head. He also noted that recent federal legislation is providing money to replace and upgrade aging local water systems and build charging stations for electric vehicles, and made sure to give Biden credit.

“President Biden’s effort to help us pass the American Rescue Plan, the bipartisan infrastructure plan, the CHIPs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act. All of them are providing significant resources from the taxpayers of America to help us transform North Carolina,” he said. “And this is a great example today of the kinds of investments that we’re making.”