Editing Sunset Beach, North Carolina (section)

== Sunset Beach Bridge ==
[[File:Sunset Beach Bridge East view.JPG|thumb|Sunset beach bridge]]
[[File:Sunset Beach Bridge with cars.JPG|thumb|Sunset beach bridge 2006 with cars]]
Since most of Sunset Beach and the adjoining [[Bird Island, North Carolina|Bird Island]] coastal reserve encompass a barrier island, the only way to get there from the mainland was by crossing a [[pontoon bridge]] (swing bridge) straddling the [[Intracoastal Waterway]] and adjacent marshland. It was a wooden structure that could only hold one lane of traffic at any given time, and was the only one of its kind still in use along the East Coast until 2010. During the day in the summer, traffic would be stopped every hour, on the hour, and the bridge would open to boat traffic on the waterway for 10 minutes. At 10 minutes after the hour, every hour, the bridge would reopen for vehicular traffic again for 50 minutes. During the off-season, the bridge only opened at the request of boat traffic. While this caused headaches for those trying to get on or off the island, many locals said the bridge did, however, give the town a more relaxed feel. Historically, this had been in stark contrast to the rapid growth affecting other beach communities along the [[Grand Strand]].

In February 2008 the [[North Carolina Department of Transportation|NCDOT]] started construction to replace the old bridge with a modern, {{convert|65|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} arc bridge (non-draw, non-swing). The bridge opened November 11, 2010. The old Sunset Beach pontoon swing bridge was saved by the Old Bridge Preservation Society which plans to create a museum celebrating the old bridge and the town's history.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/pio/releases/details.aspx?r=4239| title=NCDOT Opens Sunset Beach Bridge| publisher=NCDOT| date=November 12, 2010| access-date=November 12, 2010}}</ref> The new bridge eliminates the need for a bridge keeper and provides for a continual flow of vehicle traffic on and off the island, and water traffic on the Intracoastal Waterway.<ref>[http://www.sunsetbeachnc.gov/vertical/Sites/{F34277FF-C30A-451F-9BE1-D84A8D87A7B2}/uploads/{C7670507-D331-4ED4-A641-2505B37F52A6}.DOC Unknown]{{Dead link | date=November 2024 | fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

[[File:Sunset Beach at dusk.JPG|thumb|Sunset Beach Beach Houses at Dusk]]
[[File:"SandTrap" Beach house.JPG|thumb|A beach house at Sunset Beach, NC named "SandTrap"]]