The new and very anticipated Bonner Bridge is still on track for its February/March grand opening. Crews are steadily working on the final touches needed to allow vehicles on the structure such as paving the on-ramps that connect the bridge to NC-12. Though a possibility still remains that the bridge will open in one lane stages, Public Relations Officer Tim Haas is hopeful the bridge will be able to open in its entirety. Allowing vehicles to cross in both directions at the same time. The Bonner Bridge was scheduled to open in 2018 but was postponed due to two major storms late in the season. Using modern engineering, the bridge will have a 100 year lifespan and will provide for easier navigation under the
bridge, with a high-rise portion that is 3,500 feet long, and which reaches heights of 90.5 feet into the air. Once the new bridge is finished, workers will switch their focus to the demolition of the old bridge leaving behind 1,000 feet of the existing structure for pedestrians and anglers. The project in its entirety with the demolition of the old bridge will be complete by the end of 2019.