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WILMINGTON— State transportation officials will hold a public meeting on Thursday, Dec. 7 for proposed upgrades to Market Street (U.S. 17 Business) between the CSX Railroad and State Station and the intersection of Market Street and MLK Jr. Parkway/Eastwood Road in Wilmington.
The proposed project would improve connectivity, increase safety and decrease congestion by converting the existing center turn lane into a median.
The public can view a map displaying the location and design of the project on the NCDOT website.
The meeting will take place at the College Acres Baptist Church, 702 Eastwood Road, in Wilmington, from 4 to 7 p.m. Interested residents may attend at any time during the meeting, as no formal presentation will be made. NCDOT representatives will be available to provide information and answer questions. The opportunity to provide written comments will also be provided.
Anyone desiring additional information should contact NCDOT Division 3 Design Engineer Krista Kimmel at Khkimmel@ncdot.gov; (910) 341-200; or at 5501 Barbados Boulevard, Castle Hayne, N.C. 28429. Comments may be submitted through Dec. 28, 2017.
The N.C. Department of Transportation has awarded a $95 million contract to extend Military Cutoff Road to U.S. 17 in Wilmington.
The contract, awarded to Balfour Infrastructure Inc. of Wilmington, includes extending Military Cutoff Road by four miles from Market Street to U.S. 17. The project includes grading, paving, drainage improvements, sound walls, bridges and culverts north of Market Street. The contractor also will build interchanges where the road now meets Market Street and at the new intersection at U.S. 17.
Once completed in 2022, the Military Cutoff Extension will provide greater connectivity to Market Street and improve access to Ogden, Wrightsville Beach, Mayfaire and surrounding areas.
To accommodate the new interchange, Market Street will be widened between Gordon Road and Middle Sound Loop Road. The improvements to Market Street include an updated drainage system; a concrete median to reduce crashes and improve traffic flow; upgraded drainage to remove water from the road and new on and off ramps.
The relocation of utility lines on Market Street, as part of the pre-construction phase began in summer of 2017. Construction is scheduled to begin as soon as Jan. 2018, and is expected to be completed by spring 2022. Some lane closures will be needed but no detours are proposed at this time.
This was one of nine road and bridge projects recently awarded by the department. They were worth about $275.3 million, about $12.7 million under engineer estimates.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is reminding motorists that the Alligator River Bridge between Tyrrell and Dare counties will be closed to all vehicle traffic and boat navigation from 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 10 through Tuesday, Jan. 16.
The closure will allow crews to perform major renovation work on the bridge’s swing-span drawbridge. Workers will be repairing and replacing electrical and mechanical components located beneath the swing span.
The work is part of an extensive renovation project designed to extend the life of the 58-year-old bridge. The $16.7 million contract was awarded to Flatiron Constructors of Morrisville, NC back in March 2017.
During the closure, NCDOT will have detour signage and variable message signs in place to guide motorists through the following detour routes:
Motorists traveling east from Columbia should use N.C. 94 South to U.S. 264 East to U.S. 64.
Motorists traveling west from Dare County to Columbia should use U.S. 264 West to N.C. 94 North to U.S. 64.
Motorists traveling to the Outer Banks from areas west of Williamston should use U.S. 17 North to U.S. 158 East.
Motorists traveling from the Outer Banks to points west of Williamston should use U.S. 158 West to U.S. 17 South to U.S. 64 West.
The project will require another week-long closure for the bridge in March 2018. The dates for that closure have not been determined at this time.
Last week, during the Board of Commissioners’ “matters of interest to commissioners,” a simple request could have a tremendous, positive affect on Bladen County.
Commissioner Charles Ray Peterson asked County Manager to fashion a letter to U.S. Congressman Robert Pittenger asking that he support federal funding to extend N.C. 87 through the county and link up with U.S. 74.
“Robert Pittenger asked for our support in making U.S. 74 an interstate,” Peterson said. “I thought, if we are talking about growing Bladen, then we need N.C. 87 to become four lane. So, while it appears he wants us to help, then he needs to help us grow Bladen by four-laning N.C. 87.”
N.C. 87 now runs from the Cumberland County line through Tar Heel, Dublin and Elizabethtown — eanding at the Elizabethtown Industrial Park/Airport, where N.C. 87 meets East Broad Street.
There was a time, Peterson said, that the North Carolina Department of Transportation had money in the budget to finish N.C. 87 to U.S. 74, but it never materialized. He added the county has spoken with Drew Cox, the regional engineer for NCDOT, about extending N.C. 78, but it’s been several years since the conversation had potential.
But now, Peterson said, would be a good time to revive those talks.
“Bladen has so much to offer,” he added. “We have lots of vacant land on 87 and 211. We have natural gas and a railroad on N.C. 211. We have county water down both highways. We have the river on 87. It will make traveling from Wilmington to any destination better, quicker and easier. Houses will be built. Businesses will be build to support communities and travel.”
Beyond the local potential for housing and business development, a four-lane N.C. 87 to U.S. 74 will have positives beyond Bladen County.
“It will have a great impact on Southeast North Carolina,” Peterson offered. “If we could get N.C. 87 four-laned all the way to U.S. 74, it would give Bladen a gateway to the ports and other four-lane roads, which would open the doors for economic growth in Bladen.
“I think this would be the shot in the arm we need to grow Bladen,” he added.
Peterson knows getting the funding for the project is a long-shot, but said it’s worth fighting for.
”At the rate we are going it will never happen,” he said. “But, If we could get federal support, the state might put it back in the DOT budget. We must continue to keep Bladen opportunities in front of all elected officials and state agencies.
”If we are to grow Bladen we need help from the federal and state government,” he added. “People in Bladen deserve this opportunity. “
A contract has been awarded to make improvements on US-17 Business between Hertford and Winfall, which includes replacing the Perquimans River bridge. However, construction won't begin until summer 2019.
The N.C. Department of Transportation has awarded a $57 million contract to replace the Perquimans River Bridge in Hertford and make safety improvements on a stretch of U.S. Highway 17 Business between Hertford and Winfall.
The contract, awarded to a design-build team led by McLean Contracting Company of Glen Burnie, MD, calls for a new swing-span bridge to replace the “S Bridge” on U.S. 17 Business/Church Street. The current bridge is nearly 90 years old and is nearing the end of its useful lifespan.
“Hertford’s S-Bridge is beautiful and iconic, but it needs to be replaced,” said NCDOT Division One Engineer Jerry Jennings. “We feel the design of the replacement will be a vast improvement in safety while also keeping Hertford’s historic charm intact.”
The design and alignment of the new bridge has received support from the towns of Hertford and Winfall, as well as from Perquimans County.
The contract also calls for improvements to the causeway from the north end of the bridge to the intersection of U.S. 17 Business and N.C. Highway 37 in Winfall. The total distance of the project is approximately 0.7 miles.
NCDOT will work with the contractor this spring to finalize the project’s design, procure the necessary permits and begin right-of-way acquisition. Construction on the project is slated to begin in summer 2019.
Beginning Wednesday, March 14, the North Carolina Department of Transportation will close the Alligator River Bridge between Tyrrell and Dare counties for one week. The closure will allow crews to complete major renovation work on the bridge’s swing-span drawbridge.
The bridge will be closed to all vehicle traffic at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14 and is expected to reopen by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20. The drawbridge will also be closed to boat navigation. During the closure, crews will complete the electrical and mechanical swing span repairs that were started during the previous bridge closure Jan. 10-17.
The work is part of an extensive renovation project designed to extend the life of the 58-year-old bridge. The $16.7 million contract was awarded to Flatiron Constructors of Morrisville, NC back in March 2017.
During the closure, NCDOT will have detour signage and variable message signs in place to guide motorists through the following detour routes:
Motorists traveling east from Columbia should use N.C. 94 South to U.S. 264 East to U.S. 64.
Motorists traveling west from Dare County to Columbia should use U.S. 264 West to N.C. 94 North to U.S. 64.
Motorists traveling to the Outer Banks from areas west of Williamston should use U.S. 17 North to U.S. 158 East.
Motorists traveling from the Outer Banks to points west of Williamston should use U.S. 158 West to U.S. 17 South to U.S. 64 West.
No additional bridge closures are expected during the renovation project.
Unless I’m looking at it wrong, I can’t see much traffic willing to use a new tolled bridge when there are other existing free crossings available.
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