The bridge hosts US 17, US 74, US 76, & US 421. Though it has a vertical clearance of 135 feet, it has a drawbridge to accommodate large ocean-going ships coming to the port of Wilmington. The Cape Fear River is 40 feet deep at this point.
As a reminder of the Cape Fear River's history, a derelict tugboat's pilothouse rests on the shore opposite Wilmington's Chandler's Wharf area of the riverside boardwalk.