Oregon Inlet - Herbert C. Bonner Bridge

Herbert C. Bonner Bridge

Oregon Inlet is spanned by North Carolina Route 12 over the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) bridge built in 1963.

Prior to the building of the bridge, Hatteras Island was only accessible by air or ferry. Ferries could carry a maximum of 2,000 people per day. The ferries cost the state $0.5 million per year to operate, and there were very long lines waiting for the ferries during peak season. The Bonner Bridge cost $4 million to build. Of that amount, the state of North Carolina paid $1.5 million, and the federal government paid $2.5 million. The arrangement for a portion of the state's cost to be paid by the National Park Service was arranged by Rep. Herbert C. Bonner, for whom the bridge is named.

The environmental impact on the bridge and road was not fully understood at the time of construction, and now constant beach erosion, severe weather and high volume of traffic continually forces the state to protect the integrity of the road system. As much as $50 million was spent between 1987 and 1999 to repair and protect the Bonner Bridge and NC 12 from the ocean.

While most bridges are expected to last for fifty years, the Bonner Bridge was expected to have a thirty-year lifespan when it was built because of the harsh environment that the bridge was expected to withstand. The bridge handles about 2 million cars per year, and the state DOT ranks it a 4 on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the safest.

In October 1990, a dredge collided with the bridge during a storm, causing severe damage to several of the spans. While isolated, Hatteras Island could only be accessed by boat or plane for many weeks while emergency construction was underway to replace its only highway link to the mainland.

The Federal Highway Administration has approved the plan to replace the bridge over Oregon Inlet that connects with Pea Island and lies within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The final alignment of the bridge has not yet been determined. Once a final alignment is chosen, construction of the new bridge, which will be longer and curve farther inland, will begin. It will cost approximately $1.3 billion and should by completed by 2014, although it is likely to be later.