Crews drove the first concrete pile for the new Alligator River Bridge on Tuesday, marking the beginning of construction of the $450 million project, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced in a news release. 

The new structure will replace the aging Lindsay C. Warren Bridge on U.S. 64, a critical connection between Tyrrell and Dare counties that serves as one of the main access routes to the Outer Banks. The modern fixed-span bridge will be built just north of its existing location and is scheduled to open in fall 2029.

     What You Need To Know

  • First foundation was set on Tuesday for the $450 million Alligator River bridge project

  • The current bridge, built in 1960, has experienced mechanical failures that have forced motorists onto a 99-mile detour when problems occur

  • The modern fixed-span bridge will be built just north of the existing structure and is scheduled to open in fall 2029

“For decades to come, this bridge will make driving and boating safer, faster and more efficient for people traveling through this area,”  Transportation Secretary J. Eric Boyette said in a news release.“For decades to come, this bridge will make driving and boating safer, faster and more efficient for people traveling through this area,”  Transportation Secretary J. Eric Boyette said in a news release. “From aiding in hurricane evacuations to improving our economic development prospects, this project is a great investment in our state’s transportation future.”  

The current 2.8-mile-long bridge, built in 1960, has experienced mechanical failures that can force motorists onto a 99-mile detour when problems occur.

The new design will feature two 12-foot travel lanes with 8-foot breakdown lanes, a significant improvement over the current structure. It will also better accommodate river traffic for the more than 4,000 boats that pass through the existing swing span annually. The NCDOT said that the current bridge "has one-foot shoulders and a railing of 2-feet-10 inches."

While the current bridge has been rated "structurally deficient," officials said this doesn't mean it's unsafe. Rather, the aging bridge requires more frequent monitoring and maintenance, which often disrupts travel between the mainland to Manteo and the Outer Banks.

The project comes after extensive planning, with environmental and preliminary design work conducted between early 2021 and late 2022. The funding came from a federal infrastructure grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in January 2023. The new concrete pile is one of hundreds that will form the foundation of the bridge.

For both residents and tourists, the project aims to provide a more reliable hurricane evacuation route and smoother access to the Outer Banks.