A meeting is scheduled to receive feedback from the public on plans to replace the Topsail Island Bridge that carries N.C. 50-210 across the Intracoastal Waterway to Surf City.
The meeting, scheduled Tuesday, July 29, will be held from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Topsail Island Moose Lodge, 13175 N.C. 50, in Holly Ridge. A formal presentation will follow at 7 p.m.
Attendees will be invited to ask questions and submit comments following the formal presentation, according to a notice from the N.C. Department of Transportation.
The DOT is proposing a new bridge to replace the existing swing bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway—one of two bridges that provide access to Topsail Island. The existing bridge is a steel truss swing span bridge that was built in the 1950s and is due for replacement, the DOT said.
More than 20 design alternatives were evaluated for the project, and a series of public workshops and meetings with environmental regulatory agencies were used to narrow down the alternatives, the DOT said in its release.
Related story: Location for new Topsail Island bridge determined
“The proposed project will improve traffic flow by providing wider travel lanes for all vehicles, maintain boat traffic on the Intracoastal Waterway, and minimize traffic delays,” the release said. “The proposed bridge will include access for pedestrians and bicycles.”
An environmental document was prepared for the project and was approved by the Federal Highway Administration in October 2011. That document—the project’s environmental assessment—along with corridor public hearing maps displaying the selected alternative, are available for public review at the following locations:
- NCDOT Division Engineer’s Office, 5501 Barbados Blvd., Castle Hayne
- Surf City Town Hall, 214 N. New River Drive
- North Topsail Beach City Hall, 2008 Loggerhead Court
- Topsail Beach Town Hall, 820 S. Anderson Blvd.
Copies of the documents can also be found on the project’s website.
Written comments on the project will be accepted until Aug. 26. Comments can be submitted to Diane Wilson of the NCDOT- Human Environment Unit at [email protected].
