A bridge coming near the Landfall neighborhood has residents upset

"I feel bad for the people in Eastport who are going to have a bridge going through their front yards."

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) –For about a decade, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, New Hanover County, and the Wilmington Urban Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO) have discussed a grade separation on Eastwood Road to alleviate traffic congestion. This will be built near the Landfall neighborhood. However, when they heard of a 25-foot-tall bridge coming to their area, instead of being happy about alleviating traffic flow, many of them were unhappy to hear about it.

Doug Pruden is one of many who sits through stop-and-go traffic near Eastwood and Military Cutoff Roads. [It’s] an area many people call a traffic nightmare.

“You can see traffic backing up now on Eastwood and Military Cutoff. But, it’s going to happen,” Pruden said.

However, he tells me he would much rather sit in the infrequent traffic than take a fly-over bridge over Military Cut-off Road.

“I’m concerned about the spending of $ 81 million of taxpayer money,” Pruden explained.

Over the last 10 years, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, New Hanover County, and the WMPO have been working on this project — U-5710. It’s a map showing a 25-foot-tall, grade separation on Eastwood Road crossing over Military Cutoff Road.

Senior Project Manager in Division 3 of the NCDOT, Trace Howell, shares details.

“There’s heavy congestion in this location,” Howell said. “People that wanted to stay on Military Cutoff, they can go straight and continue. On Eastwood, they can go straight using the bridge. Anybody that wanted to take a left turn movement anywhere else can utilize the Drysdale Drive extension.”

According to Howell, the project is estimated to cost $82 million. That includes right-of-way purchase, utilities, and construction. It’s funded through the state’s Transportation Improvement Plan and will start Sept 2027, with 4-years of construction.

Residents gathered at the Northeast Regional Library to discuss the project. Many of them want the state to fix the Causeway bridge at Wrightsville Beach before adding one to Eastwood Road.

“I feel bad for the people in Eastport who are going to have a bridge going through their front yards,” one resident said.

The state is also looking to improve traffic flow at College and Orleander intersection. That project plan is called U-5704. There is no estimation of when that project will begin.