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Despite federal funding pause, work begins on Alligator River bridge

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston
Published February 25, 2025 at 6:49 AM EST
Work is underway on a replacement for the 65-year-old Lindsay C. Warren Bridge over the Alligator River between Tyrrell and Dare counties.
NCDOT
Work is underway on a replacement for the 65-year-old Lindsay C. Warren Bridge over the Alligator River between Tyrrell and Dare counties.

Construction of a new bridge on U.S. 64 over the Alligator River has begun, even though the Trump administration has paused a federal grant that was to help pay for it.

NCDOT was awarded $110 million for the Alligator River bridge in late 2021, but it’s one of two dozen grants the department received that the U.S. Department of Transportation has put on hold as part of the administration’s efforts to re-evaluate federal spending.

Contractors this week, however, began driving the first of hundreds of concrete piles that will eventually support the new between Tyrrell and Dare counties.

Other federal grants to NCDOT now on hold include funding to help replace the aging Cape Fear Memorial Bridge in Wilmington; money to install wildlife crossings on U.S. 64 in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge; and one to develop a plan to protect N.C. 12 from ocean flooding in Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Annette Weston
Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to eastern North Carolina in 2019 to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of kiddo cuddling, reading, and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston