The $242 million federal grant announced last week for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge didn't have an easy road to travel.

Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said Wednesday the grant was awarded as part of a “very competitive” funding process, with $10 billion in applications submitted for the $5 billion available.

On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced the $5 billion will be spread across 13 U.S. bridges, including the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, as part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program.

Bhatt and Gov. Roy Cooper traveled to Wilmington on Wednesday for a press conference highlighting the U.S. Department of Transportation grant, which will cover roughly half of the total replacement cost of an estimated $485 million.

Local government and business leaders across the Cape Fear region have for years pushed for funding the replacement of the 55-year-old bridge.

North Carolina Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins said at the event Wednesday that in addition to gaining a new bridge, a replacement project will add capacity for an expected increase in traffic and add multi-modal paths for cyclists and pedestrians. 

Officials are working on the project's environmental document, a process that’s expected to be completed in the next year, Hopkins said. In addition to the $242 million grant, the N.C. Department of Transportation has set aside roughly $85 million in its next STIP funding program for the replacement.

Moving forward, the N.C. Department of Transportation will continue to work with the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to find full funding for the replacement, Hopkins added.

Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo kicked off Wednesday’s event by thanking local and state leaders.

“This bridge is the very optimum of core infrastructure and an essential building block for economic vitality and the quality of life,” he said. “And it's no secret that the time has come to replace this aging structure with a new bridge to ensure our continued resilience and to meet the growing demands of one of America's fastest-growing regions.”

Replacing the bridge will require collaboration across parties and levels of government, he said.

“A project of this magnitude is beyond what one person or one party or one level of government can do,” Saffo said. “It takes all of us working together, from here to Raleigh to Washington, working across party lines because we cannot reach across this river without reaching across the aisle.” 

Susan Rabon, a Brunswick County resident and the chair of the North Carolina State Ports Authority Board of Directors, underscored the bridge’s importance to the Wilmington port and in driving the local economy.

“The bridge is a crucial piece of our region's supply chain, not just connecting New Hanover and Brunswick counties but helping to connect our state to global markets,” she said.

Cooper said he’s working to ensure the state receives every federal dollar it can for infrastructure projects. He said he recognizes the work Wilmington leaders have put into determining how to pay for the bridge’s replacement. 

He said, “This bridge is a critical connector, but long-term, its useful life is coming to an end, and this community has recognized that harsh reality and has gone to work."