City Leaders Meet with NCDOT About Cape Fear Memorial Bridge
Published on September 22, 2026
Mayor Bill Saffo, Mayor Pro Tem and WMPO Member Kevin Spears, and Councilmember and WMPO Member Cassidy Santaguida traveled to Raleigh yesterday to meet with NCDOT Secretary Daniel Johnson about the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge Replacement Project.
They were joined by Director of the City's Department of Transportation Susan Habina-Woolard and Director of Legislative Affairs Kara Spencer. NCDOT representatives included Secretary Johnson, Chief of Staff Mary Cole Pike, and Chief Engineer Patrick Norman.
The meeting followed public hearings in Wilmington and Leland last week. City leaders discussed concerns raised about Alternative B, the fixed-span option, including potential impacts to historic downtown, the shift of the primary downtown corridor from Third Street to Fifth Avenue, impacts to more properties, and greater floodplain, wetland, and noise impacts.
The City emphasized that it wants to be a partner in finding a solution that moves the region forward. At the same time, the City believes the potential impacts identified in the Environmental Assessment warrant additional consideration.
City Evaluating Additional Alternatives
The City recently previously met with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which indicated it would review suggested alternatives to the proposed plans. The City has since contracted with a design firm to evaluate other potential options, including traffic impacts and comparative analysis.
The City plans to provide proposals to NCDOT and FHWA and submit formal comments on the Environmental Assessment ahead of the Oct. 15 deadline.
NCDOT is accepting public comments on the project through Oct. 15, 2026. Employees can submit comments:
NCDOT says comments received during this phase will be considered as the project team works toward selecting a preferred alternative.