Lake Lure walks back Rep. Moore’s FEMA bridge announcement

Town says $2.85M award must fund dam, sewer, and safety projects, not Flowering Bridge replacement

The Flowering Bridge, a pedestrian landmark that drew thousands of visitors to Lake Lure before Hurricane Helene destroyed it in September 2024, will not be rebuilt in the near future, town officials said this week. The clarification followed Congressman Tim Moore’s (NC-14) announcement that more than $2.85 million had been awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the bridge’s replacement.

In a Sept. 17 press release, Town Manager Olivia Stewman said the FEMA dollars, while appreciated, are part of the Public Assistance program and must be prioritized for urgent infrastructure recovery — including the town’s aging dam, sewer system, and public safety facilities. Rebuilding the 155-foot pedestrian span would be “cost prohibitive at this time,” she said.

The FEMA funding was initially celebrated as support for replacing the destroyed bridge under Section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Act. But town officials explained that the award comes through FEMA’s Section 428 Alternative Procedures Program, which allows communities to repurpose federal recovery dollars for broader infrastructure needs instead of replacing a single facility.

Town records show the Flowering Bridge was once a highway crossing, decommissioned for vehicle use in 2011 when a new bridge was constructed nearby. Since 2013, it had been managed as a garden and pedestrian attraction leased to a nonprofit group. After Helene, the town spent nearly $200,000 on demolition and debris removal.

Officials said the $2.85 million represents only a preliminary estimate intended to reimburse those costs and begin developing accurate replacement figures. Any reconstruction would be complicated by storm damage that eroded the shoreline and nearly doubled the span a new bridge would need to cross, significantly raising costs.

The town salvaged balustrades from the historic structure, which will be incorporated into future garden designs. Officials said the concept of a replacement bridge may be revisited in the future once U.S. 64/74 roadway improvements are complete and a multi-modal path is in place.

Mayor Carol Pritchett joined Gov. Josh Stein in Washington, D.C. this week to meet with Congressman Tim Moore and other members of the NC congressional delegation. In an announcement on social media shortly after the town issued the clarification, Stein said he was meeting with federal partners to secure additional resources for Western North Carolina following Helene’s devastation.