Coastal bridge closure will affect drivers, but not roosting birds, NCDOT says
The Old Manns Harbor Bridge, the once vital link between Roanoke Island and the mainland that’s now known for attracting huge flocks of purple martins each summer, will close for six months later this spring.
The 69-year-old bridge has been undergoing repairs since last summer. That work will reach a stage that requires an extended closure starting in May, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Motorists will have to use the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge, which became the primary route across Croatan Sound when it opened in 2002.
But the purple martins shouldn’t be affected. NCDOT says none of the construction work will take place between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. when the birds roost under the bridge.
The span, formally known as the William B. Umstead Bridge, replaced a ferry between Manns Harbor and Roanoke Island when it opened in 1955. Last summer, contractors began working on the bridge’s footings, piles and other substructures as part of a multi-year, $33 million rehab.
This month, the speed limit on the bridge will be reduced from 55 mph to 45 mph as workers install steel plates on the deck and prepare to rebuild and replace expansion joints. When the bridge closes in May, workers will replace all 170 expansion joints along the 2.7-mile-long bridge and apply a new sealant to the deck, according to NCDOT spokesman Tim Hass.
“This work is more efficient and safer to perform with the bridge closed to traffic,” Hass wrote in an email.
That work will extend through July and August, when the bridge becomes a gathering place for purple martins before their annual migration to South America. The birds, a type of swallow, roost on the I-beams under the bridge deck each night, after feeding on flying insects in nearby marshes, fields and forests.
Bridge still used, despite secondary status
The coming and going of 100,000 or more birds each dusk and dawn is a spectacle that draws people to the bridge as well. To protect the birds from traffic, NCDOT puts up warning signs and lights and temporarily lowers the speed limit to 20 mph.
For decades, the two-lane bridge carried people going to and from the Outer Banks on U.S. 64. That traffic also passed through Manteo, where it slowed to a crawl during tourist season and overwhelmed the town’s business district.
The four-lane Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge, the longest in the state at 5.2 miles, bypassed Manteo and the William B. Umstead Bridge. Though Virginia Dare siphoned off most of the traffic, the Old Manns Harbor Bridge is still used by local residents, school buses, emergency services and cyclists, among others.
“This bridge serves a significant portion of Dare County’s transportation needs,” Hass wrote, “such that the NCDOT has determined there is value to keeping this bridge in service versus the cost to remove the structure.”
The repair work isn’t expected to be completed until late 2026. At that point, NCDOT will restore the speed limit to 55 mph, except when the purple martins are swarming.
This story was originally published March 18, 2024 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Coastal bridge closure will affect drivers, but not roosting birds, NCDOT says."
