New Hanover County Airport Authority approves contribution to 23rd Street expansion project

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The New Hanover County Airport Authority approved a $1 million contribution to an NCDOT project to make it easier for passengers to get into and out of ILM.

The DOT will expand 23rd Street from MLK Parkway to Airport Blvd, taking it up to two lanes in both directions.

ILM continues to see record-setting passenger numbers, including a new single-month record in June.

While the DOT planned the $4 million project, airport director Jeff Bourke said the road project will help the airport as it continues its expansion project.

“So we have a $185 million capital program, of which $130 million is out front,” Bourke said. “Parking lot, parking garage, new curb, realigning Airport Blvd. And this 23rd Street project will tie into that entrance at Airport Blvd, out near Circle K.”

An exact timeline for when the street expansion project will start is not known at this time.

The next phase of the airport’s expansion project, a larger parking lot, is expected to start near the end of this year.