NCDOT to change language on bridge closure signs after confusing drivers

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- As the NCDOT prepares for another weekend of closing the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, some drivers are a little confused by how it's being publicized.

There are multiple signs warning drivers that the bridge will be closed, ut when exactly is a little hard to understand. On Tuesday afternoon, signs said the bridge would be closed 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. this Friday through Monday, which has some drivers thinking the bridge will be open during daytime hours. That is not the case.

The bridge will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. The DOT says the signs should be changed by Tuesday night.

“We've had a couple people call with concerns about the signs being confusing, so I’ve contacted the contractor to make some changes to the signs so that when drivers read them they can read them in two panels and it will be more easily understood,” says Ben Hughes, the DOT asst. resident engineer.

Hughes says because of limitations on how much can be written on the signs, the DOT stuck with only warning drivers about the weekend bridge closures.

Meanwhile, some wonder how the closure will affect the Pleasure Island Seafood, Blues and Jazz Festival this weekend A member of the Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce says though the timing is not ideal, they expect to be sold out of tickets in the next few days.