The board, made up of officials from transportation and environmental agencies, endorsed the plan for replacing the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, which opened in 1963. The board also agreed to move forward with the next stages of the short bridge, which include improvements to N.C. Highway 12 south of the bridge.
The cost of the combined project is estimated to be between $1.1 billion and $1.3 billion, with the cost of the 2.5-mile bridge alone estimated at between $294 million and $347 million.
The officials said that more environmental impact studies need to be conducted before the short bridge plan gets final approval.
"The environment in the study area is complex and constantly changing. The ability to predict the effect of Mother Nature's future impact on the study area is extremely difficult to quantify," the joint statement issued by the agencies read.
"The shoreline alone is continually moving and unexpected storms will exacerbate the uncertainties. The environment present today can be changed overnight by Mother Nature," the statement continued.
The other plans considered by the board were two versions of a 17.5-mile bridge that would bypass Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. The cost of those projects was an estimated $930 million to $1.4 billion.
The board instead identified the short bridge plan as the "least environmentally damaging practicable alternative."
Members of the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources, state Department of Transportation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Federal Highway Administration North Carolina Division were among those on the review board.
The Bonner Bridge has a sufficiency rating of 2, with 100 being the best. Repairs are scheduled to start later this year, and state transportation officials have said the bridge is safe to cross.
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