MANTEO -- The Bonner Bridge is the sole land link between mainland North Carolina and Hatteras Island of the Outer Banks, and that bride has been closed due to immediate safety concerns. State Department of Transportation Secretary Tony Tata says he has taken action while Governor McCrory is in the nation's capital.

Tata said, "I can declare a state of emergency, within a certain scope, that allows us to suspend the rules for the bidding process. So I did that yesterday when the engineers came to me and said we have an immediate safety concern."

According to Tata, they have secured a contractor for the repairs. Governor McCrory will also declare a state of emergency to loosen the regulations surrounding the process of a normal repair. Currently ferries are running on an increased schedule and the fee to ride the ferry has been waived.