Brunswick County leaders address growing traffic concerns, rising number of crashes at transportation summit
BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — As Brunswick County continues to experience rapid growth, local officials are raising concerns about increased traffic congestion, vehicle crashes and the need for infrastructure improvements.
County and state officials gathered Tuesday for a transportation summit in Supply to discuss roadway safety, funding challenges and future transportation projects.
Highway 17 in Leland was among the areas of concern, with residents reporting heavy traffic and confusing intersections.
“I try to stay away from 17 as much as I can,” said Lisa Castor, who moved to Leland from Tennessee.
Castor said she avoids the highway because of traffic congestion and confusing U-turns.
Brunswick County Commissioner Frank Williams said the county’s rapid growth has placed increasing demands on its transportation infrastructure.
“We are growing very quickly and obviously infrastructure is a need that is on everybody’s mind,” Williams said.
Williams identified Highway 211 and Highway 74 near Columbus County as other roadways experiencing increased traffic demands as development and population growth continue.
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, vehicle crashes in Brunswick County increased by more than 23% between 2020 and 2024.
The county recorded 2,740 crashes in 2020, compared with 3,380 crashes in 2024.
NCDOT also ranks Brunswick County 91st out of North Carolina’s 100 counties for vehicle crashes.
Despite that ranking, Williams expressed concerns about how the state prioritizes funding for transportation improvements, saying the current system focuses more on existing congestion than anticipated growth.
“The scoring factor is based on current congestion not future congestion and those are some of the things that we may want to look at for fast-growing communities down the road is how can we change that,” Williams said.
Landon Zimmer, finance chairman for the North Carolina Board of Transportation, said Brunswick County has been successful in securing transportation funding compared with other areas of the state.
However, Zimmer acknowledged that rising construction costs continue to create challenges for transportation projects, including the potential replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.
“The cost of construction is going up faster than our state income and the gas tax as allowed us to pay for that so we are doing as many projects as we can and that includes hopefully the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and a lot of other projects in the region,” Zimmer said.
Williams hosted Tuesday’s summit alongside U.S. Rep. David Rouzer, who is seeking reelection to represent North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District in the November general election.
