The 2.8-mile-long bridge opened February 25, 2019. On March 7, 2019 state board of transportation voted to name the new bridge for Marc Basnight despite the fact that during its three-year construction it had already become widely known as the New Bonner Bridge and had been repeatedly referred to as such in news articles. The decision to name the new bridge for Basnight was controversial and was opposed by many residents of Hatteras Island who wanted it to be named for Bonner.