SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — To help alleviate traffic congestion, the state transportation agency is adding a turn lane and more traffic signals near the Isabel Holmes Bridge as it prepares to take on thousands of more cars once repairs on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge begin.
READ MORE: Lane on Isabel Holmes Bridge closed for inspection ahead of CF Memorial repairs
ALSO: CF Memorial Bridge’s 2 outside lanes to close overnight ahead of rehab project
While lanes are closed on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge — to officially begin Jan. 28 — drivers are expected to detour to the Isabel Holmes Bridge or use I-140, both located off Highway 421. With the number of people having to use these alternate routes, NCDOT has added a right turn lane from northbound U.S. 421/74 to the Isabel Holmes Bridge.
Along with the additional turn lane, North Carolina Department of Transportation installed four new traffic signal heads — two on both the near and far spans where the signals hang — to make sure the new traffic pattern is visible. Adding another turn lane will accommodate the expected significant increase in motorists utilizing the Isabel Holmes detour.
NCDOT spokesperson Lauren Haviland told Port City Daily last week the agency estimates 15,000 more vehicles will cross Isabel Holmes daily between January and May, the project’s estimated duration. The bridge already hosts on average 37,500 travelers daily.
“The plan is to transition back to the original lane and signal pattern once the closures/detours are lifted, but if in the meantime some unforeseen benefit is realized, we may consider leaving the pattern in place,” NCDOT spokesperson Aaron Moody said.
Last week, the Isabel Holmes Bridge underwent its bi-annual routine inspection ahead of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge closures to ensure no major issues were present. Moody said the inspection results were positive without anything of note.
Every two years, bridges are inspected for safety issues and structural concerns; crews look at the railings, decks, expansion joints, superstructure, substructure and examine underwater parts.
“Some routine maintenance needs but nothing pressing,” Moody said of the recent inspection.
Aside from the Isabel Holmes Bridge detour, travelers also will utilize I-140. As a proactive measure to alleviate added traffic, NCDOT is implementing additional initiatives that may not be seen on a daily basis but play a role in keeping traffic moving.
To monitor traffic in real-time, additional cameras will be installed along the detour routes and streets that will be heavily impacted, NCDOT Division 3 Engineer Chad Kimes said. Video footage will be used to process travel times, which will be relayed to drivers via electronic message boards to know which of the least congested paths to take.
Drivers can use DriveNC.gov — which links to Google Maps, Apple and Waze — as well to follow traffic updates.
The state’s Incident Management Group — the control center and headquarters for North Carolina State Highway Patrol, National Guard and DMV — will increase resources and speed up response times. The group will be working to clear accidents and broken down cars more quickly and it will incentivize drivers with bonus pay to quickly remove automobiles in disrepair. Normally, it could take up to 24 hours to remove an impaired vehicle from a road, but the goal is to handle it immediately, Kimes said.
NCDOT’s Incident Management Assistance Program — equipped with traffic control devices, fuel, jumper cables — will also staff five drivers in the area daily as opposed to the typical two. The employees also can handle flat tires or help with vehicles running out of fuel. All detour routes will have a “quick clearance” ordinance to remove cars in a timely manner.
To ensure additional incidents are handled swiftly, NCDOT will implement the Hawks program, for off-duty law enforcement officers to take on additional shifts. The goal is for more personnel to be available 24 hours a day.
“It’s a massive amount of work going into this,” Kimes said. “We’re basically speeding up response times.”
All construction work, including utility, water and sewer installation — anything from laying down fiber optic cables to new development construction — must operate at night or be delayed until after the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge repairs are complete. NCDOT is in the process of sending out notices to applicants for its encroachment or driveway permits.
“We want them to be successful, but we don’t want them to interfere with additional traffic,” Kimes said.
Southern Road and Bridge personnel — handling the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge repairs — are putting in place infrastructure beginning this week for safety measures. Overnight lane closures start Thursday, Jan. 11, with outside lanes on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge closed from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Crews will be building a platform ahead of a five-month repair project to replace the riding deck. Closures will include one lane in each direction.
Once the platform is built, crews will close one inner lane in each direction to construct a barrier wall for the safety of workers during the project. The goal is still to start full lane closures Jan. 28, but Kimes said NCDOT is still waiting on materials to arrive.
“We check on it daily,” he said. “It’s not fabricated by DOT so we have no control over that. All we can do is go off their word.”
On Jan. 28, two eastbound lanes will close to travelers moving between Brunswick and New Hanover counties, through March 30. All lanes will open back up for Azalea Festival April 1 to April 8. The two westbound lanes will then shut down April 9 with a goal to be completed by May 23.
To learn more about the project, detour information and updates, go here.
Tips or comments? Email amy@localdailymedia.com.
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.