The North Carolina Department of Transportation released an environmental assessment of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge Replacement project on August 14, kicking off a public comment period that ends on October 15th.
Community members and elected officials are both concerned about the impact on the downtown areas impacted by the bridge, including Mayor Bill Saffo.
"If we're going from 65,000 cars per day to 95,000 cars per day, the protection of those neighborhoods are paramount to the elected leaders here. That's our responsibility," Saffo said.
NCDOT is currently considering two replacement options, both costing over a billion dollars, with six instead of the current four lanes, as well as a multi-use path. Based on federal requirements from the Army Corps of Engineers, both have to allow 135-foot clearance.
But one option, Alternative A, has a lower overall height, with a moveable lift section. The other, Alternative B, is a fixed-height bridge that is both taller and longer, but has no moving parts that need maintenance.
That means while Alternative A has similar footprint to the current bridge, Alternative B will mean significant changes to city streets and traffic flow with the added construction of trumpet interchanges. Here’s Wilmington’s Planning and Development Director Linda Painter explaining.
“A trumpet interchange, I'll call them loop ramps, if you are heading eastbound and want to go head south on Front Street, you will be curving underneath the existing bridge," Painter said. "Similarly, to get on the bridge, you will have another ramp that curves."
“You will no longer be able to access Third Street when you are coming off the bridge into Wilmington," she said. "You are going to have to access downtown from Fifth Avenue.”
Council member Cassidy Santaguida pointed out the potentially severe impact this alternative would have on local side streets as well as Fifth Avenue, which was just narrowed to two-lanes to add bike paths.
"When we start dumping cars where we don't have capacity off of a monster bridge, I think we start to put at risk the economic investment that the taxpayers in this city have made," Santaguida said.
Council member J.C. Lyle added she was concerned about the cost to local taxpayers of additional traffic on city streets. And, ultimately, all council members agreed they opposed Alternative B.
Several residents, community leaders, and council members asked officials to consider other, less costly alternatives — but it’s not clear if there will be enough time before the end of the public comment period.
According to Wilmington Chief of Staff Dennis LaCaria, city staff are working with a consultant to identify potential alternatives.
"We're asking the question, 'Is there another option that maybe has not been explored to date that can solve everybody else's needs?'" LaCaria said. "And can we roll that in or out quickly, so that again we're not holding anything up, but but doing that work, doing that due diligence now during the public comment period, and then being able to say here's something that we would like you to look at."
The resolution also called for the city’s direct representation on what’s called the Merger Team, which includes federal, state, and regional organizations.
The city is currently represented by the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, but the language of the resolution suggests they want their own seat at the table.
The resolution also opposes tolling the new bridge. This exchange between Mayor pro Tem Kevin Spears and LaCaria spoke to the potential impact of tolling commuters.
"What we're not talking about is the impact to 421 between the bridges," Spears said. "Even when when you get off of work right now, you know the moment that you get on 421 off of 74, it's traffic, right?"
"And that's a fair question," LaCaria said in response. "And obviously, the the impacts to the bridge, Isabel Holmes Bridge, get exacerbated in a scenario where the replacement bridge is tolled because people will go out of their way to avoid the toll."
City leadership anticipates having a new alternative to propose by the end of the public comment period. Council will also take another vote on the staff comments.
The decision to toll the bridge will be up to the WMPO, the regional transportation authority which represents New Hanover County, Wilmington, the beach towns, parts of Pender and Brunswick counties, and Leland. WMPO had already authorized a toll, but has until February of next year to change course. The merger team, which includes NCDOT, will have the final say on the bridge design.
One final wrinkle: According city staff, the project has to be ready to go by September next year to remain eligible for a $242 million-dollar federal grant.
Later this month, NCDOT is holding two public hearings on options to replace the bridge, scheduled for:
- Monday, September 14 at CFCC, Daniels Hall
- Tuesday, September 15 at the Leland Cultural Arts Center
For both dates, doors open at 4:30 p.m., and the hearings start at 6:00 p.m.
If you cannot attend the public hearing in person, NCDOT will livestream the meetings.
