The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) issued a Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA)/Dredge and Fill Law permit for the Mid-Currituck Bridge. In a separate action, the Division of Water Resources (DWR) issued a Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification for the bridge, a proposed 6.7-mile, two-lane toll road and bridge that would connect the mainland in Currituck County to the Outer Banks near Corolla.
The decisions follow a comprehensive, multi-agency review process, including two public hearings held by the Division of Coastal Management on March 18 and April 16, and a public hearing held by the Division of Water Resources on Feb. 27.
The toll project connects the Currituck County mainland at US 158 near Aydlett to the Outer Banks near Corolla with a two-lane bridge that spans the Currituck Sound and a two-lane bridge that spans Maple Swamp.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)/North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) submitted an application on Sept. 18, 2024, for a Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA)/Dredge and Fill Law permit, with additional information submitted afterwards. DCM accepted the application as complete on Jan. 7, 2025. The project file, including the application, is available here.
The Division of Coastal Management makes permit decisions after considering agency and public comments, and after determining whether a proposed project meets the CAMA, the State Dredge and Fill Law, the Coastal Resources Commission’s (CRC) rules and the local government's land-use plans.
CAMA Major/Dredge and Fill Law permits are necessary for activities that require other state or federal permits, for projects that cover more than 20 acres, or for construction covering more than 60,000 square feet. DCM determined that the project meets the requirements of the N.C. Coastal Management Program.
The NCDOT/NCTA also applied to DWR for a Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification, which determines whether the project complies with state water quality standards. In assessing the proposal’s compliance, DWR evaluates if the activity has avoided and minimized impacts to surface waters and wetlands to ensure the remaining waters will continue to support existing uses; if it would cause or contribute to water quality standard violations; and if the applicant provides for the replacement of existing uses through mitigation.
After reviewing comments, applicable rules and following discussions with staff, DWR has issued a 401 water quality certification to the applicants with conditions. For unavoidable impacts to wetlands, the project applicants secured an agreement with the Division of Mitigation Services (DMS) to provide mitigation, which is the creation, restoration or enhancement of wetlands elsewhere to offset unavoidable impacts.
DWR held several interagency meetings to address concerns raised regarding the project’s impacts of shading on submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). In response, a revised plan to mitigate impacts to SAV was submitted. The applicants are required to mitigate unavoidable impacts to SAV according to the approved plan, which involves monitoring for the effects of shading on SAV, and replacement or restoration of impacted SAV as close to the area as possible. The certification also includes a condition that the applicant must submit an update to the project stormwater management plan prior to construction.
All of DWR’s responses to comments can be found in the hearing officer’s report. The project file, including the application, is also online.