On Thursday night, crews will begin work on what is expected to be the region’s most disruptive traffic project in decades: preserving the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.
One-lane east and westbound nightly closures of the aging bridge start at 7 p.m. and will last through late January. The real work begins on the 28th, a human experiment on stress and patience for an unwilling population of tens of thousands of people as the state Department of Transportation closes all inbound traffic on the bridge to Wilmington for nine weeks. After a brief pause for the Azalea Festival between March 31 and April 8, the state will close outbound traffic for the next six weeks, with the goal of finishing by Memorial Day.
More than 65,000 vehicles cross that bridge daily. And while there is another less-traveled bridge 1.5 miles north, the closures are sure to upend life for commuters. County officials are bracing for it like they would for a hurricane– even staging a multi-agency emergency management post on the ninth floor of the Syline Center, with a view of the headache below.
For many, the traffic quagmire has picked at wounds about how to get the old bridge replaced–and who’s going to pay for it. No agency has committed to fully funding it, even though officials identify it as the area’s top transportation priority.
In discussions about the lack of funding, some leaders have invoked the idea that it shows the area lacks political firepower, or that Raleigh overlooks the region. Perhaps both.
Communities east of I-95, the belief goes, get ignored.
For years, the slow decay of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge has embodied that feeling. It has been in poor condition since Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo was appointed to office in 2006.
“Even then, it was reaching its limits,” Saffo said.
For The Assembly, Benjamin Schachtman and Johanna F. Still explore whether political clout still matters in getting major transportation projects funded.
Time For Some Traffic Problems in Wilmington
A traffic nightmare arrives on the eve of a consequential infrastructure vote. And that decision has leaders questioning the strength of Wilmington’s political sway.
Catch up on an audio conversation on last week’s edition of The Dive here, or contact us with story ideas and feedback at wilmington@theassemblync.com.
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Around the Region
Budget Bleed: New Hanover County Schools has warned big cuts are imminent as pandemic funds dry up and student enrollment declines, WHQR reports.
FB to IRL: What started as a Facebook group against overdevelopment in Brunswick County has coalesced in person and hopes to formalize as a nonprofit, the Brunswick Beacon reports. The group claimed a victory last fall by stopping a massive development in Ash.
Downtown Domain: Wilmington is planning to extend the HOA-like control it has in a segment of downtown real estate to additional properties, Port City Daily reports. The expansion would include the site of the failed Gateway Project.
Around the State
A Trump Test In the Piedmont
Donald Trump’s surprise endorsement of a little-known young lobbyist has added to the unpredictability of a Republican primary in the 6th U.S. House District.
Tobacco’s Second Wind
For 20 years, North Carolina farmers and brokers have smuggled tobacco to Mohawk territories in Canada. A massive sting operation offered an inside look at the underground economy.
Buck Wild
Eli Vastbinder has taken bull riding from North Carolina to New York and back as part of a growing network of professional riders.
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