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Skanska USA will soon begin work replace the Lindsay C. Warren Bridge over the Alligator River in North Carolina’s Tyrrell and Dare counties, the state DOT announced last week.
The U.S. arm of the Sweden-based builder and developer won a $450 million contract to replace the 65-year-old swing bridge with a two-lane, fixed-beam bridge just north of the ‘current.
Workers will begin driving balls in the coming weeks, according to the Jan. 8 announcement. Other activities, such as cleaning, will begin soon after. The contract with Skanska says the bridge will open to traffic in fall 2029 and demolition of the old bridge will begin in spring 2030.
The current bridge is the main vehicle access to the Outer Banks barrier islands from the west via U.S. Route 64, as well as a critical hurricane evacuation route, according to the release. The aging period is regularly maintained, the North Carolina DOT said, but is prone to mechanical failures that can force motorists into a 99-mile detour.
Tourism is the Outer Banks’ No. 1 industry with more than 5 million visitors each year, according to the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce.
The new bridge will try to alleviate these forced detours for motorists, as well as improve river traffic for the more than 4,000 boats that travel through the crossing annually.
