Local transportation leaders reaffirmed their support on Wednesday for keeping a tolled option on the table to help fund the replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.

In an 8-4 vote, the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO) approved a resolution that supports including the bridge replacement as a toll facility in N.C. Department of Transportation’s upcoming State Transportation Improvement Program (or STIP) and amending a local plan to include the bridge replacement as a toll facility.

WMPO Executive Director Mike Kozlosky said the resolution was “procedural in nature” and confirms previous action and direction from the board. He noted the resolution allows the WMPO board to withdraw its approval of the tolled option at any time before the Department of Transportation advertises for the project for construction. In January 2024, board members voted 8-5 in support of a resolution asking NCDOT to evaluate a tolled option to replace the aging bridge.

With the toll option included, the bridge replacement ranked No. 9 overall in a draft of the Department of Transportation’s Prioritization 7.0, which was released in June 2024. The tolled project also received a potential commitment of $85 million in funding. Meanwhile, the untolled option ranked No. 211 statewide and remained unfunded.

The cost of replacing the bridge has climbed from a previous estimate of $437 million to up to $1.1 billion, according to NCDOT officials. Last summer, the project secured $242 million in federal grant funding, but those funds were put on pause in late February and remain under review by the Trump Administration.

On Wednesday, Leland Mayor Brenda Bozeman, Wilmington City Council members Kevin Spears and Luke Waddell, who also serves as WMPO board vice chair, and Navassa Mayor Eulis Willis voted against the resolution. 

Bozeman voiced several concerns about the tolled option ahead of Wednesday’s vote. Speaking on behalf of the Leland Town Council, she said council members aren’t aware of existing non-tolled infrastructure being replaced with tolled infrastructure in North Carolina and have concerns about the legal implications and precedent new tolls could set.

Bozeman said Leland leaders are concerned that the total amount, structure and length of potential tolls haven’t been considered and that involving a private organization could increase the cost and duration of tolling. They’re also concerned that the impact of adding tolled infrastructure to the local transportation network isn’t being fully considered and evaluated.

Finally, “we are concerned that the STIP process does not reasonably and equitably evaluate bridges, particularly existing bridge replacements, in comparison to other infrastructure requests,” Bozeman said.

Those supporting the resolution included Wrightsville Beach Mayor Pro Tem and WMPO Board Chair Hank Miller, Belville Mayor Mike Allen, Carolina Beach Mayor Lynn Barbee, New Hanover County Commissioner Dane Scalise, Kure Beach Commissioner John Ellen, Pender County Commissioner Brad George, Brunswick County Commissioner Mike Forte and N.C. Board of Transportation member Landon Zimmer. Bill Rivenbark, chair of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, was absent from the meeting.

During a public comment period held before the vote, representatives from local business advocacy groups voiced support for the resolution.

Jerod Patterson, the newly appointed president and CEO of Business Alliance for a Sound Economy (BASE), said the transportation funding landscape has “grown increasingly perilous” since the board’s 2024 vote. Patterson noted the high cost of transportation infrastructure repairs caused by damage from Hurricane Helene, a shift in federal fiscal policy under the Trump Administration and ongoing inflation.

“By reaffirming that (2024) decision, we will continue to make progress towards funding one of the most vital pieces of infrastructure in our region,” Patterson said. “Failure to do so would imperil the funds already raised amidst an exceedingly difficult funding backdrop.”

Natalie English, CEO and president of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, has long advocated for replacing the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge. She urged the board to support keeping the tolled option on the table.

“Nobody wants a toll, but we do want a bridge,” English said. “I worry that the alternative to continuing to consider means that we'll only have one bridge downtown crossing the Cape Fear River, and I don't think any of us really wants to see that happen.”

BASE Vice Chair John Lennon said the vote doesn’t make tolling a “foregone conclusion” but instead affirms a commitment to “work side by side with state and federal officials in seeking additional funding mechanisms.”

“There is still ample time to continue to work together on procuring these funds,” he said, “and voting for this resolution today assures that we will all make the best use of that time.”