The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is a steel vertical-lift bridge in North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

. It carries U.S. Route 17 Business, U.S. Route 76

U.S. Route 76

U.S. Route 76 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.-Tennessee:...

, and U.S. Route 421

U.S. Route 421 in North Carolina

U.S. Route 421 traverses approximately across North Carolina; from Fort Fisher, on a peninsula between the Atlantic and Cape Fear River, to the Tennessee state line near the community of Zionville....

 across the Cape Fear River

Cape Fear River

The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...

 between Brunswick County

Brunswick County, North Carolina

-External links:*******....

 and New Hanover County

New Hanover County, North Carolina

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 160,307 people, 68,183 households, and 41,591 families residing in the county. The population density was 806 people per square mile . There were 79,616 housing units at an average density of 400 per square mile...

. It also carried U.S. Route 74

U.S. Route 74

U.S. Route 74 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Cleveland, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.-Tennessee:Established in 1987, US-74 western terminus is exit 20 on I-75 in Cleveland...

 until that designation was shifted to the Isabel S. Holmes Bridge. It is currently the highest bridge in North Carolina and features a lift span that can be raised 135 feet (41.1 m). The lift span is 408 feet (124 m) long.

History

The bridge was constructed in 1969, and replaced a 1929 bridge (which was removed) across the Northeast Cape Fear River

Northeast Cape Fear River

The Northeast Cape Fear River is a blackwater river tributary of the Cape Fear River, approximately 130 mi long, in southeastern North Carolina in the United States....

, near where the Isabel Stellings Holmes Bridge is today. Between May and August 2008, the bridge is undergoing repairs of cracks in its decking. Because the bridge is narrow and carries much more traffic than when it was built, it is considered functionally obsolete by the North Carolina Department of Transportation

North Carolina Department of Transportation

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-History:...

. There has been discussion of a new bridge across the Cape Fear River downstream from downtown Wilmington. However, the Cape Fear Skyway

Cape Fear Skyway

The Cape Fear Skyway is a proposed limited access toll road and bridge to be built in North Carolina, United States, that will pass through portions of New Hanover and Brunswick counties.-Description:...

remains in the early planning stage.