The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources will hold a public hearing on Feb. 27 at the Currituck County Center to hear public comment on North Carolina Department of Transportation and North Carolina Turnpike Authority’s 401 water quality certification application for the proposed Mid-Currituck Bridge project.
NCDOT and the N.C. Turnpike Authority applied for the certification to address water quality impacts from a proposal to construct a 7-mile, two-lane, controlled access toll road and bridge that would connect the mainland in Currituck County to the Outer Banks near Corolla, North Carolina.
The project is proposed to connect U.S. 158 near Coinjock/Aydlett to N.C. 12 near Corolla. It would include a shorter bridge over Maple Swamp in Currituck County on the mainland, and a longer bridge crossing the Currituck Sound.
The proposed project’s water quality impacts include fill material placed in and along the west bank of the Currituck Sound to stabilize the shoreline in the area of the bridge, as well as fill material in jurisdictional wetlands in Maple Swamp or Great Swamp. In accordance with the application, NCDOT and the N.C. Turnpike Authority are seeking certification for 1.21 acres of permanent wetland impacts and more than 17 acres of temporary wetland impacts as part of the proposal. In addition, there are predicted impacts to submerged aquatic vegetation.
The public is invited to submit comment at the hearing, as well as by mail or email.
Public Hearing Details
When: Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at 6 p.m.
Where: Currituck County Center
120 Community Way, Barco, NC
Register: Speaker registration opens at 5:30 p.m. onsite via sign-in sheet.
Written comments must be received by DWR no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, March 31, 2025. Please mail written comments to: Garcy Ward, Division of Water Resources, 943 Washington Square Mall, Washington, N.C., 27889. Written comments may also be submitted via email to: publiccomments@deq.nc.gov. Please include “Mid-Currituck Bridge” in the email’s subject line.
Per Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, state 401 water quality certifications, are required for federally permitted or licensed activities, including construction or operations of facilities that could result in a discharge to navigable waters.
The 401 certification would assess whether the proposal would meet state water quality standards, and whether the project has avoided or minimized impacts to surface waters or wetlands, among other considerations.
NCDOT’s application for the 401 certification can be found online: Mid-Currituck Bridge 401 Application File. The public notice sent by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District can be found online: USACE Public Notice.