NCDOT holds hearing on proposed Independence Blvd extension project
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina Department of Transportation held a hearing for a possible extension of Independence Blvd.
More than 100 people gathered at the GLOW Academy in Wilmington for the hearing and to learn more about the project.
A 1.7-mile extension would connect Independence at its intersections with Randall Parkway and Mercer Avenue up to MLK Parkway.
Designs of the project show an elevated highway with bridges going over Market Street and several railroad crossings.
NCDOT engineer Trevor Carroll said this project would help traffic in the city.
“The reason we’re evaluating this project right now is to alleviate the congestion and provide an additional north-south route in the area,” Carroll said.
According to the NCDOT’s annual average daily traffic map, in 2023, an average of 33,000 cars drive on Independence Boulevard just before its intersection with Mercer Avenue, while 19,000 cars drive along Covil Avenue, the other side of that intersection, every day.
An extension connecting Independence to MLK had been suggested as much as 50 years ago, as part of the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s long-term plan back in the early 1970s.
Dozens of residents spoke during the hearing, giving NCDOT officials the chance to gather feedback about the project.
Opinions varied on the project, as some, like Susan Bulluck, said residents will need to work with NCDOT to find the best solution.
“So it will be up to us as people in the community to work with DOT and DOT has been good about working with neighborhoods and advocating,” Bulluck said. “But it is up to us to do it.”
Other people voiced concerns about how much they could get for their home if asked to move, saying the value of their home is far less than what it costs to buy a new house in Wilmington.
Wilmington City Councilman Kevin Spears opposed the project due to the potential impact on residents living along its proposed path.
“There are a number of people in this community that don’t, they don’t want to move,” Spears said. “They don’t want to lose what they have. We have been impacted, we are continuously impacted and we want to keep the community where we feel comfortable at.”
While Bradley Cotton said the project will have an overall positive impact on the city.
“Keeping traffic of College Road, keeping traffic off Market Street, connecting some of the different trails and things together, I think is, is beneficial,” Cotton said. “So I think we all have something in here to lose, but I think us and the greater community has something to gain by this project moving forward.”
Carroll said two alternative designs for the project are being considered, with a decision expected to be made sometime in the spring.
He added that no funding for the $424 million project has been approved, or when construction would even begin, if approved.
