NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Two projects the North Carolina Department of Transportation has planned will be discussed at an upcoming community meeting. Those who can’t attend can submit their feedback online or via phone.
READ MORE: Feds award $242M grant to fund CF Memorial Bridge replacement
NCDOT welcomes the public to hear more about the replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and improvements planned for South Front Street on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at CFCC’s Daniels Hall (502 N. Front St.).
The state agency will present three alternate designs for the CFMB and gather input. Despite undergoing preservation work earlier this year, the bridge is approaching its end-of-life span and to keep up with population growth and impacts, it will need to be replaced.
The new bridge is planned to expand from four to six lanes and include a 15-foot multi-use path for pedestrians crossing into Brunswick and New Hanover counties.
Bridge designs include:
Alternate A
A movable span structure from 65 feet to 136 feet, costing $759.9 million.
Alternate B
A fixed structure with a 135-foot clearance, to cost $452.9 million.
Alternate C
A fixed structure with a 100-foot clearance; price yet to be determined.
The Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has to vote on the final design plans and has agreed to explore all funding options, which includes the possibility of a toll. A Traffic and Revenue Study will be completed in 2024 by NCDOT as well, which will inform what a toll may look like and how the traffic shifts of a new bridge will affect the region.
NCDOT has plans to make an alternative choice by spring 2025, with an environmental document completed during the same timeframe and a public hearing held that summer. Right-of-way acquisition and construction timelines have yet to be determined.
More about the project can be found here and anyone who cannot attend the meeting can share feedback by calling (984) 205-6615 and entering project code 10626, emailing at CapeFearMemorialBridge@publicinput.com or visiting NCDOT’s public input portal by Oct. 25.
South Front Project
To improve congestion, the NCDOT is planning to widen a portion of U.S. 421 downtown — a.k.a. South Front Street — from two to four lanes in a median-divided roadway. It would take place from Cape Fear Memorial Bridge to Burnett Boulevard.
The project will add a 10-foot multi-use path on the east side of South Front Street, while bringing a double quadrant intersection at South Front Street, Burnett Boulevard (U.S. 421) and Carolina Beach Road. It also will reduce railroad crossings from one to two on South Front Street and shift tracks from the middle to the west side of the street.
See more about the project here, which is expected to cost more than $30 million, with utility relocation and right-of-way acquisition beginning next year. Construction is scheduled for 2027.
Anyone who cannot attend the meeting can submit comments via phone at (984) 205-6615 and entering project code 10422, emailing Front-Street-Improvements@publicinput.com or visiting NCDOT’s public input portal by Oct. 25.
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