Construction work is being planned for the $1 billion project to build the Mid-Currituck Bridge in North Carolina. The tolled bridge will be located in the tempestuous Outer Banks, stretching around 11km. This new bridge will provide an alternative for the Wright Memorial bridge carrying US 158.
The Wright Memorial Bridge is located at the southern end of Currituck County into Dare County and experiences heavy congestion during holiday periods. It also can be congested as an emergency exit route in case of the severe storms that sweep the Outer Banks.
Building the new Mid-Currituck Bridge would provide a second crossing for the sound, to the north of the existing Wright Memorial Bridge. The new bridge would provide an additional connection between US 158 and NC 12 across Currituck Sound. This would help reduce congestion and improve the flow of evacuation traffic in the event of an extreme weather event, for which the area is known. Located on the Atlantic Coast, the Outer Banks experiences some of the most severe hurricanes and storms anywhere in the world. Bridges built in the area have to endure some of the most challenging conditions experienced anywhere.
The bridge crossing was first proposed as far back as the 1970s but only since 2008 has the project been discussed on more concrete terms.
The proposed bridge design is for a structure featuring pre-stressed concrete beams with a concrete deck on top. This would sit on piles driven into place from barges. Given the ferocious storms and fierce scour, the structure would have to be engineered to withstand extreme conditions.
