Walk the Bonner Bridge replacement before it opens to traffic

DARE CO., N.C. (WTVD) -- The new bridge over the Oregon Inlet will be open to pedestrians Saturday.

North Carolina Department of Transportation, Dare County, and the National Park Service are holding a Community Day to celebrate the completion of the new bridge.

The new bridge will replace the Bonner Bridge, which opened in 1965 and is the only non-ferry access between Bodie and Hatteras islands.

The new bridge stands 90-foot high and spans 2.7 miles, according to our newsgathering partners at the News & Observer.

NC Board of Transportation's Road, Bridge, and Ferry naming committee voted Wednesday to recommend naming the new bridge Marc Basnight Bridge. Basnight served in the North Carolina State Senate from 1983-2011.

An official opening date for the new bridge has not been announced.

Saturday, Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. people can go out and walk the new bridge.

The event will be held at the north end of the bridge, near the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center.

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Local and state leaders will be there to bless the bridge and participate in a wreath-laying ceremony.