Yikes (for some background here is, maybe, my first post on the Bonner Bridge issue):
The North Carolina Department of Transportation closed the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge Tuesday due to safety concerns, and a Dare County official told WAVY.com the fix will not be quick or easy.
According to NCDOT, crews closed the bridge after routine sonar scanning found scouring concerns; too much sand has eroded from the support structure of the bridge in some areas. The bridge, which is the stretch of N.C. 12 across the Oregon Inlet, will remain closed until additional resources can be brought in to inspect and repair it.
The Bonner Bridge is the only highway access for vehicles between Hatteras Island and the mainland, and its closure is "devastating" to the Outer Banks, according to Chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners Warren Judge. ...
NCDOT awarded a contract to a design-build team to replace the bridge in August 2011, but construction has not begun because of a series of legal challenges from the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife and the National Wildlife Refuge Association. The most recent challenge was heard in court last October.
via www.wavy.com
This is from a 6+ years ago post on Bonner Bridge:
I'd like for the state of North Carolina to seriously consider a third option: abandoning the bridge project and building ferry terminals on both sides of Oregon Inlet. There could be a short terminal that would work as long as Highway 12 through Pea Island is a viable road and a long terminal that bypasses the wildlife refuge. This option acknowledges that the beach moves and there is not much that people can do about it. North Carolina beach goers have much experience with ferries. The added inconvenience will slow growth on the southern Outer Banks, which is a good thing.
Let the field experiment begin (although, it is a before/after design where a with/without design is preferred)! And OBXers can just leave their hate mail in the comments, no need to send email.
----------
Hat tip: Tim