State Audit Finds $61M Spent but No Start on Mid‑Currituck Bridge

Overview

• The Office of the State Auditor reported Monday that North Carolina DOT has spent more than $61 million over about 30 years on planning, environmental studies, legal work, engineering and land purchases for the Mid‑Currituck Bridge without any construction beginning.
• NCDOT’s updated estimate in the audit puts project construction costs at about $1.118 billion and total delivery near $1.2 billion, more than double the roughly $491 million estimate from 2019.
• Even after $173 million in committed state funds and expected toll-backed borrowing, the auditor found a funding gap of roughly $702 million to $832 million and cited a March 2026 NCDOT analysis that said the project is not currently financially feasible without more funding.
• The audit noted over $26 million of the $61 million was spent on environmental and legal work, and State Auditor Dave Boliek urged NCDOT and state leaders to make a clear go/no‑go decision so local residents get an answer.
• The bridge has been studied since the mid-1990s to add a second Currituck Sound crossing for summer traffic relief and evacuation routes, and local planners have preserved the $173 million allocation while seeking new funding through April 2027; construction is not expected to begin before June 2028.