Wright Memorial Bridge | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wright Memorial Bridge in 2022 | |
| Coordinates | 36°05′22″N75°45′21″W / 36.08944°N 75.75583°W /36.08944; -75.75583 |
| Carries | 4 lanes of US 158 |
| Crosses | Currituck Sound |
| Locale | Currituck andDare Counties |
| Other name | Currituck Sound Bridge |
| Named for | Wright brothers |
| Owner | NCDOT |
| Maintained by | NCDOT |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Segmented girder (westbound) Concrete slab (eastbound) |
| Material | Prestressed concrete |
| Total length | 14,927.9 feet (4,550.0 m) (westbound) 14,867.9 feet (4,531.7 m) (eastbound) |
| Width | 38.4 feet (11.7 m) (westbound) 33.8 feet (10.3 m) (eastbound) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1995 (westbound) 1966 (eastbound) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 8,000 (as of 2011) |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Wright Memorial Bridge | |
| References | |
| [1][2][3] | |
TheWright Memorial Bridge comprises two automobilebridges spanning theCurrituck Sound, betweenPoint Harbor, inCurrituck County, andKitty Hawk, inDare County. The bridges carryUS 158 and are dedicated to theWright brothers.
The first bridge opened on September 27, 1930; built by the W.L. Jones Company ofElizabeth City and owned by the Wright Memorial Bridge Company. Entirely made ofwood, the 3-mile (4.8 km) span took six months to construct, at a cost of $225,000. A toll bridge costing $1 per trip, it became the official gateway to theOuter Banks and even featured an archway at the Kitty Hawk end that read "Dare County" at top, "1583 Birthplace of a Nation" on left, and "1903 Birthplace of Aviation" on right. The bridge replaced a private ferry service between Point Harbor and Kitty Hawk.[4][5][6]
In June 1935, theState Highway Commission purchased the Wright Memorial Bridge for $150,000 and removed the toll.[7] In 1934, NC 344 was replaced byNC 34; which was later replaced byUS 158 in 1941.[8][9] In 1966, the first Wright Memorial Bridge was replaced and razed.[4][10]
The second and current eastbound bridge opened in 1966, replacing the first Wright Memorial Bridge. The new two-lane concrete slab bridge allowed a 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) speed limit, an improvement to the former bridge's 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) speed limit. In 1995 a second parallel bridge was constructed to alleviate traffic, which became the westbound bridge. The older eastbound bridge was reconstructed in 1997. Both bridges together provide four lanes of traffic.[4]
