$1.3 million approved for local transportation projects

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – The Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has approved $1.3 million dollars for three projects in the area.

Part of the money will go toward two multi-use path projects in Belville. The town will construct a path along NC 133 from Rice Hope Way to Hawkeswater Boulevard. The path will provide people with a way to walk and bike from the existing neighborhoods in the area to Belville Elementary School.

Other money will go toward the City of Wilmington’s signal improvement project. They will install emergency vehicle traffic signal pre-emption at 27 intersections in the city. Traffic signal pre-emption devices will alert traffic signals when an emergency vehicle is approaching the intersection. The light will turn green for the emergency vehicles while the other light in the intersection turns red. The goal of the project is to improve response times and improve the safety of emergency personnel and the public at these intersections.

For the final project, the Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority will use the money for preventative maintenance on their current fleet of buses and vans. This will allow them to meet the FTA’s State of Good Repair requirement. They have also proposed using the funds for ADA compliant complimentary para-transit services.