Wilmington looks for proposals on rail realignment

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The City of Wilmington is moving forward with its research on the possibility of moving the rail line that winds through the city.

The city has posted a Request for Proposals, which has a budget of $300,000, for preparation of a feasibility study of the potential realignment. The deadline to provide proposals is Feb. 24 by 5 p.m.

City planners and leaders raised the possibility of moving the rail last year citing the projected growth of the Port of Wilmington and the city itself and the anticipated congestion both would bring. According to the RFP, the eight-mile long freight rail crosses Wilmington streets 32 times. The RFP describes the desired outcome to include “a bridge across the Cape Fear River and approximately 4.5-5 miles of new track.”

The city says the feasibility study will address impacts of the project, including safety issues along the current rail line, economic benefits of realigning the track across the river more directly to the Port of Wilmington, financing and environmental effects.

“We hope when the feasibility study is complete that we will be able to better define this potential project and know whether it can be accomplished. Knowing what complications affect the project will hopefully help move it forward to the benefit of Wilmington and the region,” Laura Padgett, chair of the mayor’s Task Force on Rail Realignment, said in a news release.

Padgett said the Wilmington Urban Area MPO’s Transportation Advisory Committee and the NC Department of Transportation’s Rail Division are partners on the project and will share the cost of the study with the city.

Oversight of the feasibility study process and completion is the first mission of the Task Force. The first formal progress report from the Task Force to the Wilmington City Council will be Feb. 16 in keeping with the mayor’s charge to provide an update every six months, the city said in a news release.