New stormwater pipe reopens Ogden-Murrayville cut-through ahead of heavy rain

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WWAY-TV) — As the Cape Fear region prepares for heavy rain from Hurricane Isaias, residents in Ogden and Murrayville could see 2 to 6 inches of rain. A recently repaired cut-through road may help some homes better withstand the storm.

The Dove Field Drive cut-through, a popular route connecting Ogden and Murrayville, collapsed during major flooding in August. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has since installed a new stormwater pipe and reopened the road Oct. 2.

Julia Witchek, who has lived near the cut-through for more than 20 years, said the road’s closure temporarily reduced traffic near her home. She said the new pipe gives her greater peace of mind ahead of the expected heavy rain.

“For us, this means a lot. This is gonna be great for us,” Witchek said. “What they did here was above and beyond what I expected.”

Witchek said the original pipe was about 20 inches wide, while the replacement is large enough to drive a truck through.

In a statement to WWAY, an NCDOT spokesperson said the original pipe sustained significant damage during a recent storm and had to be replaced. The agency increased the pipe’s size based on a current hydraulic study.

According to NCDOT, the new stormwater pipe is nearly nine times larger than the original pipe beneath the cut-through.

While Witchek welcomes the improvements, she remains concerned about flooding in downstream neighborhoods. She said she was told the next culvert is outside NCDOT’s jurisdiction.

As development continues in the area, Witchek said local officials should consider a coordinated approach to managing stormwater and understanding how drainage issues affect neighboring communities.

“When this collapse happened, it was a really good opportunity to assess this differently because the whole road was gone,” Witchek said. “I think this is another opportunity for them to centralize the drain water and figure out where it’s going and how it impacts one neighborhood to the next.”