Prior to the building of the Bonner bridge, Hatteras Island was only accessible by air or ferry. Ferries could carry a maximum of 2,000 people per day. The ferries cost the state $500,000 per year to operate, and there were very long lines waiting for the ferries during peak season. Due to the constantly shifting sandbars in the inlet, groundings were a constant problem. The Bonner Bridge cost $4 million to build and moves up to 14,000 cars a day in both directions. Of that amount, the state of North Carolina paid $1.5 million, and the federal government paid $2.5 million. The arrangement for a portion of the state's cost to be paid by the National Park Service was arranged by Rep. Herbert C. Bonner, for whom the bridge is named. The bridge also made it possible to provide electric power to the islands using transmission lines rather than generators.