Winter weather causes delay in reopening Old Manns Harbor Bridge

A winter of rain, snow, ice and fog has caused a delay in the scheduled reopening of the William B. Umstead (Old Manns Harbor) Bridge in Dare County.

Crews expect to finish installing the bridge deck overlay this weekend, but critical work remains to fill approximately 78 expansion joints with weather-sensitive elastomeric concrete. Weather permitting, contractors will have that work completed in advance of Easter weekend in mid-April.

At that point, the bridge will reopen with single lane closures until the entire project is complete in late 2026 or early 2027.

The work is part of a $33 million preservation project on the 70-year-old bridge across Croatan Sound.

While the bridge is closed, drivers traveling between Manns Harbor and Roanoke Island can use the Virginia Dare Bridge as an alternate route.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.