TOP TO BOTTOM: 



• The Beaufort bridge opens for boat 

 traffic. 



• Nancy Cayton, bridge tender at 

 Wrightsville Beach, is at the controls. 



• The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge only 

 opens upon a signal. 



• Surf City's bridge swings open. 



Ptuiiot hy Scott l) Taylor 



14 SPRING 2001 



Seasonal Migration 



The busiest seasons are the fall and spring when large yachts and sailboats owned by 

 "snowbirds" crowd the waterways as they migrate to and from Florida, the Bahamas and other 

 southern points. 



"We can have anywhere from one to 24 boats," says Cayton while watching boat traffic from 

 a building on the bridge's edge during a busy fall day. 'Today we had 12 boats come through at 

 one opening." 



As the population in Wilmington has exploded, the number of cars and trucks rattling across 

 the bridge has increased. 



"There is a lot more traffic than there was 20 years ago," she says. "It has doubled or tripled." 



The large amount of vehicular traffic — more than 400 cars waiting during one opening — 

 has created wear and tear on the span. Because of a cracked brass bearing on the western half of the 

 44-year-old span, the Wrightsville bridge was dosed for vehicular traffic, but not pedestrian traffic, 

 on several nights in February. 



Before closing the bridge, bridge tenders give aging bridge parts regular boosts of lubricating 

 grease. On a recent day, a bridge operator in a white suit stood beneath the bridge on a ladder and 

 greased the bridge's gears. Earlier, Cayton had lubricated the gate and the trunion — the balance 

 that keeps the bridge open. 



"We each have a section to grease," says Cayton, whose duties include washing the building's 

 windows and blinds. 



Replacements Considered 



Although no drawbridges are scheduled to be replaced at this time, DOT is conducting 

 preliminary feasibility studies on the Sunset Beach and Beaufort bridges to assess whether the bridges 

 need to be replaced with high-rise structures, says Lin Wiggins, director of DOT's Bridge Division. 



The Beaufort Board of Commissioners supports a DOT bridge improvement plan for a new 

 thoroughfare and bridge for U.S. 70 East, according to a recent resolution. 



In addition, the town board wants to keep the Grayden Paul drawbridge or a mid-rise fixed 

 span at the present location so local traffic will have access to downtown Beaufort, according to 

 Corinne Geer, interim town manager. "We are also working with the Coast Guard for amended 

 scheduled openings every 30 minutes," she adds. 



However, DOT doesn't see any advantage in just building the thoroughfare and not replacing 

 the structure, says Wiggins. 



"We routinely get complaints from both sides on the opening schedule for the drawbridge," 

 he adds. "There is also the continued maintenance and operation cost. Eventually the bridge will 

 have to be replaced. Nothing lasts forever, especially a large structure with moving parts." 



For the past 20 years, the Sunset Beach Association has opposed proposals for a high-rise 

 bridge at Sunset Beach. The bridge is the only link between mainland Brunswick County and 

 Sunset Beach, the state's westernmost and southernmost barrier island. 



However, DOT supports building a new bridge. 



"DOT's recommendation for a high-rise replacement for Sunset Beach is based on future 

 operating costs of movable span structures and the conveyance of both vehicular and maritime 

 traffic," says Wiggins. "It is a very difficult operation to balance openings for vehicular traffic needs 

 and maritime needs as well." 



Built in 1959, the Sunset Bridge is the only floating pontoon bridge in North Carolina. A view 

 from the one-lane bridge offers a wonderful visual contrast — a seagull fluttering over a sea of 

 marsh grass on one side and a man fishing on wood pilings near a trailer park on the other. 



On a recent day, bridge tender Tom Hewett walks down steep spiral steps to open the bridge, 

 which rests on a barge. As a he pulls a cable, the bridge separates from the roadway and makes a 

 90-degree turn as it meets the pilings in front of the roadway. 



As each boat goes through, Hewett jots down the boat's name, direction and time of entry so 

 he can have a record for the Coast Guard. 



