HARKERS ISLAND — The innovative new bridge that opened here Tuesday represents a bittersweet change for folks in Down East Carteret County, where the harsh saltwater environment has its way.
More than 300 attended a ceremony Tuesday morning to commemorate the earlier-than-anticipated opening of the roughly $60 million high-rise structure that connects Harkers Island and the mainland.
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The 3,200-foot-long, fixed-span bridge with a 45-foot navigational clearance is the first in the state to be built with mostly carbon-fiber reinforced steel, used to combat corrosion in coastal environments, officials said.
The new bridge replaces two bridges that are more than 50 years old and badly deteriorated, despite the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s efforts to keep extending their lifespan. The swing-span Earl C. Davis Memorial Bridge will be dismantled and the other, simply called Bridge No. 96, will be converted for pedestrian access to Straits Fishing Pier on the small causeway between the old bridges.
Merrie Jo Alcoke, board member for NCDOT’s Division 2 that includes Carteret County, said during the ceremony that the project had begun in fall 2021, and “Now here we are to celebrate the opening almost a full year ahead of schedule.”
Alcoke listed reasons why the bridge means so much to residents — more than just convenience. “By not only improving the structural capacity, the new bridge will also provide better access to and from the island in emergencies and during hurricane evacuation.”
NCDOT Division 2 Engineer Jeff Cabiness added that transportation officials understand that the bridge will make a positive impact here.
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“And speaking of the community, I want to say thank you,” he said, explaining that having so many people attending the ceremony shows the community’s spirit. “I can easily say, in 32 years with the department, this is the largest-ribbon cutting I have ever been part of. And you’ve all been very supportive for this project.”
Cabiness reiterated that not only did NCDOT staff and contractor Balfour Beatty complete the project early but nearly a year ahead of schedule. “A year ahead of schedule. I’ve never had a chance to say that,” he said.
Cabiness said to build the bridge, NCDOT used materials including carbon-fiber and glass-fiber reinforcing bars, which have been used in other projects but never to this extent in a structure in the state.
“And that’s critical for areas down on the coast like Harkers Island with the saltwater and the harsher environments. This bridge will require less maintenance and be more resilient for the coastal environment,” he said, which is a benefit for both the community and NCDOT.
Carteret County Commissioner Chris Chadwick, who grew up in Gloucester and traveled over and under the old bridge many times, also pointed to the community’s spirit.
The island’s seen a lot of changes over the years and this bridge is really needed, he said. “This bridge will last some of our lifetimes and remain strong like the Down East spirit.”
Russ Lewis, the last bridge tender who also documented his days there through photographs, said he stood there “with a heart full of memories and lens filled with captivating scenes of this beautiful island that has been my workplace and sanctuary.”
For years, he’s “had the honor of being the keeper of a bridge that, like the ebb and flow of the tide, has witnessed the comings and goings of boats, the magical dance of sunsets and the glorious rebirth of sunrises,” he said.
“But as the old bridge turns, so does the wheel of progress, and a new chapter of unfolds. A new bridge, sturdy and modern, stands tall, ready to take the responsibilities of his predecessor. While we bid farewell to the old structure, we must also celebrate the resilience it represents — the countless stories it silently bore witness to, the boats it gracefully turned for, and the sunrises and sunsets it framed,” he said. “As we embrace the arrival of the new bridge, let us not forget the significance of preserving the memories embedded in the old structure. It’s a bridge that has not only connected us physically, but also emotionally to the heart of Harkers Island. As we turn the page to the new chapter, let our appreciation for the old bridge serve as a reminder of a delicate balance between progress and heritage.”
Area historian and Down East native Joel Hancock explained that bridges in general, and not just this one, have been a fairly recent addition to the historic landscape of Harkers Island.
Ebenezer Harker, Hancock’s seventh-great-grandfather, purchased the island from George Pollack in 1730. After “the great storm” in 1899, communities on barrier islands migrated to Harkers Island, and demanded a way to get back and forth, including to Beaufort where they sold their fish and bought groceries and supplies.
A mail boat began daily service to the island in the early 1900s, and it carried passengers as well as envelopes, and with the advent of the automobile, a ferry service was started. Islanders led by Earl Davis had begun campaigning for a permanent bridge to connect them to the outside world. That effort proved successful when the first bridge linked Harkers Island to the mainland in 1941. The original bridge was replaced in 1970.
“But time and nature have taken their toll. And now the time is right for an even better bridge. And one that, as mentioned, most likely will outlast most of us who cross it for the first time today,” he said.
Rep. Celeste C. Cairns, R-Carteret and Craven counties, joined the crowd that walked across the bridge after the ceremony. She told Coastal Review it was a great joy to attend, especially on such a beautiful day.
“It’s an Impressive structure, and it’s going to mean a lot for the community. It’s just a blessing to be part of it today.”
Straits resident Lillie Chadwick Miller, whose home is across the water from Harkers Island, was strolling the new bridge she watched be built. She told Coastal Review that the new bridge is going to be a huge benefit to the community.
NCDOT Resident Engineer Brad McMannen said that the contractors were going to finish painting stripes that day and begin Wednesday on dismantling the old bridge swing-span bridge.
At a reception following the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island, Executive Director Karen Willis Amspacher told the couple dozen there that she had cried all day “and I don’t know why. Change is hard. And that’s what the bridge means, is change.”
And for all that the past leaders, including Davis, “have done for us, we are still Harkers Island, there’s no amount of progress that is going to take away how we feel about this island, and what it stands for.”
