On Monday, Aug. 27, the last pre-cast concrete girder was placed and closed the gap on the new 2.8-mile Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet.

The $246 million project is still on schedule to be finished by the end of December.

The high-rise portion of the bridge is 3,500 feet long with seven navigational spans, averaging about 300 feet in width each. On the existing bridge, the arched high rise provides only one navigational span with an opening of 130 feet.

The replacement bridge has 12-foot-wide travel lanes and 8-foot-wide shoulders. The current bridge has no shoulders.

Part of the existing Bonner Bridge will be demolished and the material will be used at offshore reef sites. About 1,000 feet of the existing bridge at the south end will remain in place and will be open for pedestrians and fishing.

Look for video of the last girder placement this week at thecoastlandtimes.com.