Leland receives $1 million grant for Old Fayetteville Road culvert replacement project

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — The Town of Leland has been awarded a $1 million Disaster Relief and Mitigation Fund grant from North Carolina Emergency Management.

This funding will assist with the Old Fayetteville Road Culvert Replacement Project to prevent future flooding on a critical route in Leland.

This project will replace the existing undersized cross pipe on Old Fayetteville Road near Scorpion Drive with a larger, reinforced box culvert. The culvert and roadway were damaged during Hurricane Florence, blocking access to North Brunswick High School, which served as a designated emergency shelter.

Leland Resilient Routes, a grant-funded project to identify critical routes within and surrounding Town limits, ranked this as the one of the highest priority transportation projects, a press release stated.

“Receiving this grant is a significant milestone for the Town of Leland,” Mayor Brenda Bozeman said. “This project is vital for ensuring safe access during emergencies and enhancing our resilience against flooding, as highlighted by the impacts of Hurricane Florence.”

NCDOT owns and maintains Old Fayetteville Road and has indicated support for the Town’s efforts to design and construct the replacement culvert.

With this grant funding, the Town expects to move forward with design this fall and begin construction late next year.