The replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge will shape the Cape Fear River—and the land around it—for generations.

Right now, federal navigation requirements are narrowing the range of possible bridge designs by requiring at least 135 feet of vertical clearance. But New Hanover County, the City of Wilmington, and the Town of Leland have all called for additional federal review of the navigation needs north of the bridge, including whether assumptions developed decades ago still reflect present-day and future conditions.

The Alliance for Cape Fear Trees, Cape Fear River Watch, North Carolina Coastal Federation, Eagles Island Nature Park, Cape Fear Sierra Club, Save Sledge Forest, and the League of Women Voters of the Lower Cape Fear are joining that call.

For us, this is also about the future of the sensitive wetlands, forests, and riverfront north of the Memorial Bridge. Maintaining an expectation of deep-draft commercial navigation upstream could preserve pressure for future dredging, shoreline alteration, and industrial development in environmentally sensitive areas. Research led by UNCW scientists has also found evidence that dredging accelerates saltwater intrusion, contributing to changes in freshwater tidal wetlands, tree death, and the formation of “ghost forests.”

Federal law provides a process for reviewing an existing navigation project when physical or economic conditions have significantly changed. We are asking North Carolina’s federal delegation to request that review before assumptions developed decades ago become embedded in a bridge that will shape this region for generations.

Use the form below to ask your federal representatives to request a Section 216 review of the Wilmington Harbor Navigation Project north of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.