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During the commissioner’s reports at the mid-September Currituck County meeting, Chairman Bob White said that he attended a recent meeting about the Mid-Currituck Bridge project, and it is currently moving ahead. The estimated timeline for the permitting process is 18-24 months.

The bridge has been discussed and debated for decades, and $150 million was earmarked for this project from the state. “That would have done some good 10-20 years ago but now it’s like a drop in the bucket,” White said.

The NC Department of Transportation website says the estimated cost of the 7-mile bridge spanning the Currituck Sound is $500 million.

The approximate location of the bridge is from Aydlett in Currituck County mainland to Corolla in the Outer Banks. The project is planned as a toll bridge, though there is no information yet about the price of the crossing. A bridge would ease traffic congestion and provide another route in the event of a hurricane evacuation.

White said NCDOT is considering, for the first time, public-private-partnerships as a source of funding, as well as looking into any federal monies that may be available.

Currituck commissioners moved quickly through business items, approving a text amendment to clarify the language of adequate public facilities in regard to schools, and rescheduling a public hearing for phase three for Windswept Pines for the mid-October meeting.

Commissioners also approved a design build amendment for Sussex Development Corporation for a guaranteed maximum price of just under $61 million for the construction of Tulls Creek Elementary School in Moyock.

School construction is expected to start this week, and will be completed by August 2025.

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