Wilmington & Brunswick County, NC

Keep the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge toll‑free.

NCDOT and the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization are weighing a plan that could put a permanent price tag on the region's only direct river crossing — up to $2.75 each way, for decades. We're asking local leaders to reject a toll and find a funding path that doesn't fall hardest on the commuters, tradespeople, and working families who cross this bridge every day.

See What You Can Do See the Numbers

The Facts

What's actually being proposed

The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge has carried US 17/76/421 across the river since 1969 and is now nearing the end of its usable life. Replacing it is expected to cost more than a billion dollars. Federal and state grants cover less than a quarter of that, and officials are now looking at tolls to close the gap.

~65,000
vehicles cross the bridge every day
$2.75
proposed toll per one-way crossing (up to $5.50 round trip)
50 yrs
a private toll could stay in place before it's paid off
$700M+
funding gap left after federal and state grants

Why You Should Oppose It

A toll here hits the people with the least room to absorb it

It's a daily tax on getting to work

Thousands of workers cross between Brunswick and New Hanover counties every day. A round-trip toll adds up fast for people with no alternate route.

It's regressive by design

A flat per-crossing toll costs a minimum-wage worker the same as a corporate commuter — taking a much bigger bite out of a smaller paycheck.

Residents already pay for this bridge

Gas taxes and state transportation dollars are supposed to fund roads like this one. A toll asks the same drivers to pay twice.

There are alternatives on the table

Other funding options are still being studied. Tolling shouldn't be treated as the only path forward before those are fully explored.

This isn't just a grassroots concern — local government has already weighed in. Wilmington City Council unanimously adopted a resolution in January 2024 opposing the use of tolls to fund the bridge replacement. Leland's Town Council followed with its own resolution at its April 16, 2026 meeting, after Council Member Veronica Carter raised the issue following a WMPO meeting; Leland's council has been consistently and unanimously against a toll bridge. Two local governments on opposite sides of the river agree: the funding gap shouldn't be closed on the backs of the people who cross it every day.

Take Action

Five things that actually move this decision

The toll isn't decided yet. The WMPO board has until February to reverse its request that tolls be considered. State legislation will also be required to authorize tolling this facility. Further, our federal representatives can ask for a Section 216 review by the US Army Corps of Engineers to study reducing the height of the bridge to reflect current conditions.

1

Contact your state legislators

Tell them directly you oppose tolling this bridge and ask what alternative funding they're pursuing.

Find Your Legislators
2

Contact Governor Josh Stein

Let him know you oppose NCDOT's proposal to toll this bridge.

Contact Governor Stein
3

Email or call the WMPO board

The Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization board is the body actually voting on whether to accept a tolled funding model.

WMPO Contact Info
4

Contact your federal representatives

State and federal transportation dollars are part of this funding picture. Ask your U.S. Senators and Representative to support non-toll funding for the bridge replacement. Ask them to support a Section 216 review, which will examine whether the height of the bridge can be reduced.

Find Your Member of Congress
5

Talk to your neighbors and coworkers

Tolling decisions get made in quiet meetings unless enough people are paying attention. Share this page and ask others to do things 1–4 too.

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