Work continues to clear the way for widening Randall Parkway in 2013.
Crews with Progress Energy remain in the thick of clearing vegetation for relocating power lines prior to construction. Roadwork was scheduled to begin this week, but clearing of tree limbs and brush will continue for the next couple weeks, a City of Wilmington spokesman said.
Construction is now set to start mid-month, and drivers can expect to see traffic impacts beginning the week of Jan. 14, said city spokesman Dylan Lee.
That week, construction crews will start demolition at the intersection of Randall and Independence Boulevard, with the project progressing east toward College Road over the course of the next 15 months. Work is expected to reach the midpoint of Kerr Avenue in June.
Lee noted that the city, which is overseeing the project, provided “extensive” notifications to affected property owners and businesses in the area, including door hangers, postcards and emails. Signage will also be used to alert drivers to lane closures and changes to traffic patterns.
The $5.6-million project involves widening Randall Parkway, currently a two-lane road divided by a median west of Kerr and by a center-turn-lane between Kerr and College, to a four-lane divided roadway complete with bike lanes between Collegiate Drive and College. A connection of the Gary Shell Cross City Trail is also planned in conjunction with another widening project slated for Kerr in 2014.
Plans include landscaped medians and a 10-foot-wide multi-use path between Independence and Kerr that would add to the cross-city trail, connecting parts of the trail already in place off Independence and across College at UNCW. Sidewalks will also be installed where possible, and pedestrian crossings will be installed at the intersection of Randall and Kerr.
Part of the goal of the project is to alleviate traffic congestion, particularly between Kerr and College, where backups due to school bus stops and general high traffic volumes are common.
Construction is slated to last 15 months, with more than half of the project’s construction budget coming from state and federal funding and a 2006 voter-approved transportation bond.
More information about the project can be found on the city’s website at wilmingtonnc.gov/randallparkway.
Jonathan Spiers can be reached at (910) 772-6313 or [email protected].
