Riverfront Park work to start after Azalea Festival

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Work planned at and around Riverfront Park in Wilmington will not start until after next spring’s Azalea Festival, the city says.

According to a news release, the Coast Guard told the city earlier this month that federal funding for the Water Street/Riverfront Park Project is still not in place, but that the work would not begin until after Wilmington’s biggest event of the year in April.

The city says its project start date has also been delayed. The city plans to start construction just after the Azalea Festival wraps up, including bulkhead stabilization near the foot of Market Street, new underground water and sewer lines, a complete overhaul of the Water Street streetscape and improvements to Riverfront Park. All of that work is between Market and Princess streets.

The nine-month project will mean closing Water Street between Market and Princess and no public use of that part of Riverfront Park during the construction.

The city says it will coordinate a second phase of Riverfront Park/Water Street Improvements with the Coast Guard and CFPUA. The second phase will run along Water Street from Princess Street north to Walnut Street. It will include work in the park, paving and the placement of a new underground sewer main beneath Water Street. That construction is expected to begin in late 2015.

The city will hold an open house in January for the public to learn more. The meeting has not yet been scheduled.