A sunken highway corridor, elevated rail and a boulevard concept on top of a berm are the alternatives being considered for a planned extension of Independence Boulevard between Randall Parkway and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.
The regional Transportation Advisory Committee—the governing arm of the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization—received a presentation on the concepts at its monthly meeting Wednesday. The requested update featured a video showing how each alternative would function to add a third north-south route between Shipyard Boulevard and the MLK Parkway.
Currently, only Third Street and College Road provide continuous north-south routes between those arterials. The Independence extension—planned for right-of-way acquisition in 2019 but currently unfunded in terms of construction dollars—would add a third route between those two and continue the urban loop concept long-envisioned for Independence, in conjunction with the Wilmington Bypass and a new bridge over the Cape Fear River.
Project manager Ted Devens of the North Carolina Department of Transportation said each of the options would come with impacts, but that those would be less than other options considered, such as extending 16th and 17th streets north to the MLK, or 23rd Street south to connect with Independence.
The least expensive option—an elevated boulevard on top of a berm, shown in the video as a six-lane divided road—would cost $150 million and involve interchanges at Market Street and MLK. The concept would avoid a traditional signalized intersection at Market, where long waits at lights would result from projected traffic volumes.
A depressed corridor is another option, allowing traffic on Independence to flow underneath Market and existing rail lines, though that option would cost about $250 million. An elevated rail line was also presented, though that project would cost about $270 million and require the most impacts to homes and businesses.
Committee members were lukewarm to all three proposals, citing concerns about impacts to lower-income neighborhoods. Chairwoman Laura Padgett, of Wilmington City Council, questioned the visual impact of the berm-boulevard option, asking why a bridge structure could not carry the road instead.
Devens said such a structure would come with more cost, both in construction and in long-term maintenance. He said the sunken-road option is also doable, but at a cost of $100 million more than the berm.
Because the length of the extension is less than two miles, Devens said it would not be feasible to elevate the road or rail only at intersections or crossings. In addition to crossing Market, the extension would need to clear—either above or below—two railroad crossings to keep traffic flowing. (See map above).
“You’ve got a ton of cars crossing these railroad tracks, versus the port needing to maintain one or two trains a day. They need to be independent of each other,” Devens said.
Jonathan Barfield, a New Hanover County commissioner who represents the Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority on the committee, stressed concerns that each alternative would affect existing neighborhoods, displace residents and harm the quality of life of those along the road.
“I understand the need for a north-south route in the middle of Wilmington. My concern is the impact on that community,” he said, noting affordable housing along the Independence corridor.
Added Earl Sheridan, a Wilmington councilman: “I’m very concerned about the impact on that neighborhood, as far as displacing people and having that big expressway splitting that area. A lot of times it’s minority neighborhoods that are impacted” by these projects.
Joe Breault, a Belville commissioner, said a decision would need to consider the Cape Fear River Crossing, the location of which has yet to be determined, if a new bridge is built over the river at all. Padgett said more discussion, particularly among Wilmington City Council, would need to precede a decision.
If a depressed highway was built for the corridor, Devens said it would be the first of its kind in North Carolina.
Related story: With Randall Parkway widened, Kerr Avenue’s next in 2014
Jonathan Spiers is a reporter for Port City Daily. He can be reached at (910) 772-6313 or [email protected]. On Twitter: @jrspiers
