Sidewalks and safer roads take center stage in Wilmington’s long-term transportation plans
NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) — In Wilmington, pedestrian safety is a big priority for city planners as they manage growth and make important decisions on what the city will look like years down the road.
Last year, 74-year-old Walter Kenneth Hinds Jr. was killed riding a bike in a hit-and-run accident along Independence Boulevard.
He was one of 8 pedestrians hit in 2025.
Accidents like Hinds are just one reason why the WMPO is working on projects like the Wrightsville Ave project, building sidewalks along the entirety of the corridor, which makes it more walkable and pedestrian-friendly.
WMPO Executive Director Mike Kozlosky says these priority projects come from master plans designed for safety.
“Walk Wilmington, for example, we partnered with the City of Wilmington and the North Carolina Department of Transportation to prepare ‘Walk Wilmington.’ It identifies location, the highest priority location, for our sidewalk and multi-use path network, and the goal of that plan is to identify projects and policies for enhancing walking in the community,” said Kozlosky.
Part of the WMPO’s bigger plan is the safe system approach that focuses on safer vehicles, safer speeds, safer roads, post-crash care, and safer people.
“The 2022-2026 Strategic Plan identified six priority projects for our region,” said Kozlosky.
Those projects include interchange projects such as Military Cutoff and Eastwood, which leads to Wrightsville Beach, and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and North Kerr.
The other four include MLK – Market – Eastwood, the Hampstead bypass, Independence Boulevard, and the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement.
“We develop the plans and the roadmap for how the cities, and the towns, and the counties in our region grow and expand from a transportation perspective,” said Kozlosky.
In a few weeks, the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization will hold an open house for the public to ask questions about the organization’s plans for the city regarding their Safe Streets for All Safety Action Plan.
