COROLLA, N.C. (AP) - Federal authorities have approved a bridge from the mainland to the Outer Banks over the Currituck Sound - a span that North Carolina officials have been planning for almost 25 years.
State officials said in a news release Friday that the Federal Highway Administration had granted its record of decision for the Mid-Currituck Bridge. The 4.7-mile, two-lane toll bridge would connect the community of Aydlett on the mainland and Corolla on the northeastern Outer Banks.
The need for the east-west crossing of the Currituck Sound was first identified in 1975. The state Transportation Department began formal planning in 1995.
The bridge would provide another route evacuation route during hurricanes.
The project includes a 1.5-mile long bridge across the Maple Swamp, along with other road and bridge improvements.
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