According to a representative from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, NCDOT denied an unsolicited proposal from Delivering Bridges LLC for a public-private partnership (P3). Under a P3, the LLC would have helped build and fund the bridge in exchange for payment, likely in the form of tolling rights.
The unsolicited proposal was submitted in February. In March, WMPO gave the DOT permission to screen the P3 proposal. Earlier this month, the NCDOT’s oversight committee decided not to go forward with the partnership.
The DOT representative said staff found the proposal was not materially different from a traditional toll bridge and some terms in it were not allowable or beneficial. His presentation did not specify why some terms were deemed not allowable.
According to the Wilmington Business Journal, the proposal was for a six-lane bridge with 135-foot vertical clearance. The expected toll price was $2.75 and the expected opening was in 2031.
WMPO did not vote on the matter. By state law, NCDOT has the power to reject all P3 proposals if it deems them not beneficial to the department.
WMPO officials also began discussion on a way to satisfy federal requirements that protect historic properties. Section 106, also called the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, requires WMPO to analyze the impact the bridge would have on the historic district and come up with a plan to mitigate it.
Details around the bridge replacement are still in flux, so WMPO can’t yet do a traditional analysis of the project’s impact. For that reason, it's considering signing on to a Programmatic Agreement (PA). It allows federal agencies to watch over a project and its negative impacts without the typical Memorandum of Agreement- a legally binding set of guidelines based on a prior analysis to make sure historic properties are minimally affected.
WMPO board members will vote on whether to sign on to the PA at a future meeting. However, the planning organization would sign on as a concurring party. That means it would not have any power to change or end the agreement. Signing as a concurring party basically amounts to a stamp of approval, and the WMPO’s signature is not required for the agreement to move forward.
At the meeting, a number of people spoke at public comment. Most had general concerns about the bridge replacement options, especially when it comes to tolling. Wilmington resident Peter Ruffin lives on a street that would be impacted by the project. He said, “My home will either be taken, or I will be a troll under the bridge with a 90-foot ramp within 200 feet of my house and possibly a 50-foot wall.”
The bridge replacement, particularly the toll option and the option of a 135-foot span, is widely unpopular due to inevitable disruption to the environment, properties, and traffic in Wilmington and the increased likelihood that a toll will be necessary to recoup the steep cost of the project. However, as the bridge ages, repairs become more and more expensive. Additionally, NCDOT deemed the bridge “functionally obsolete” — not referring to its structural integrity, but referring to its ability to handle traffic from the area’s increasing population.
WMPO’s next board meeting will take place on August 26.