On Oct. 17, the Southern Environmental Law Center issued a statement on behalf of opponents to the proposed Mid-Currituck Bridge, claiming that NCDOT is delaying building the seven-mile Currituck Sound crossing due to rising costs and lower traffic forecasts. The SELC, which orchestrated a years-long delay to replacing the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, across nearby Oregon Inlet, until a compromise was reached last year, claims the original Mid-Currituck Bridge cost estimate of $440 million now tops $678 million.
The organization also asserts that it has “new data” that suggest NCDOT’s original forecasts have dwindled by nearly half, necessitating a one-way toll as high as $50. The next-closest crossing of Currituck Sound to the Outer Banks’ popular resorts and beaches is more than 19 miles farther south on U.S. 158.