COLUMBIA, N.C. (WITN) – Distribution of the funds awarded as a result of an infrastructure law passed in 2021 is going to be discussed today.

Governor Roy Cooper, Federal Highways Administrator Shailen Bhatt, as well as state and local officials, will be coming to the Alligator River Bridge to talk about the bridge replacement project and the Mega Grant that is helping to fund it.

In January the NCDOT was notified about the $110 million grant, a direct result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

The grant will significantly offset the costs to replace the bridge and get rid of the need for emergency maintenance and preservation costs for the existing bridge.

The current bridge, completed in 1962, is a two-lane, 2.8-mile swing-span bridge on U.S. 64 over the Alligator River between Tyrrell and Dare counties.

The bridge is on a Strategic Transportation Corridor and a designated hurricane evacuation route. It also crosses the Intracoastal Waterway.

It has been described as “structurally deficient’ and at the end of its useful design life, Recent mechanical issues have caused long backups and detours for vehicular and maritime traffic.

The NCDOT will be replacing the existing bridge with a two-lane, fixed-span bridge just to the north of the existing one, eliminating the need for vehicles to stop for passing boats.

The Alligator River Bridge is one of only nine projects nationwide to receive a Mega Grant, which is part of President Biden’s historic infrastructure law. These grants fund projects too large or complex for traditional funding programs.