North Carolina to sink Outer Banks bridge. What Ohio travelers should know
One of the routes to a popular vacation spot for Ohioans is getting an overhaul, with the current bridge becoming an artificial reef.
North Carolina officials plan to sink the Lindsay C. Warren Bridge — a 2.8 mile span on U.S. Route 64, west of the Outer Banks — in the nearby Albemarle Sound, according to the Charlotte Observer . That means road construction along one of the routes Ohioans use when traveling to the Outer Banks.
The Outer Banks is a popular vacation destination for Ohioans. The Buckeye State ranked fifth in the nation for bookings in Dane County, which includes the chain of islands, the Island Free Press reported in 2023 . That was down one spot from the previous two years. Topping that list were Virginia at No. 1, followed by Pennsylvania, Maryland and North Carolina.
Here's how the road work on that bridge may affect Ohio vacationers.
Bridge to Outer Banks, North Carolina to become artificial reef
North Carolina began work on a new bridge to replace the existing Lindsey C. Warren span, built in 1960, in 2025, which the state rated "structurally deficient," the Observer reports. The new bridge over the Alligator River will have 65-foot vertical channel to allow clearance for passing ships. The existing bridge is lower, requiring a swing span to allow ships to pass it.
But the existing Warren bridge will find new life as a reef in the sound just north of its location. North Carolina plans to disassemble the bridge and drop pieces into the water, covering about 125 acres about 3.5 miles north of the mouth of the river. Each piece will measure about 60 feet by 30 feet, and include traffic lanes and concrete railings.
Do Ohioans use the Lindsey C. Warren Bridge when traveling to the Outer Banks?
While the Warren Bridge is one of the main routes to the Outer Banks, Ohioans likely don't use it much when heading there for vacation.
Google Maps shows the fastest route to the Outer Banks from Ohio is to come in from the north, along U.S. Route 158, instead of from the west along U.S. Route 64 and over the Warren Bridge. The northern route getting to the Outer Banks is 12 minutes faster and 10 miles shorter than using the bridge when traveling from Cincinnati.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: North Carolina to sink Outer Banks bridge. What Ohio travelers should know
