Two construction barges employed at a $216-million project to replace the 2.7-mile-long Herbert C. Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet, on the North Carolina Outer Banks, came adrift in Pamlico Sound during the passage of Hurricane Matthew and beached themselves about 30 miles to the south near the village of Avon on Hatteras Island.
The project to replace the 52-year-old bridge was awarded to PCL Civil Constructors and HDR Engineering in 2011, but construction start was delayed until March 8, 2016, by lawsuits involving long-term environmental issues in federally protected areas of Hatteras Island.