SURF CITY—Topsail Island’s new bridge will likely open sooner than expected.
The 26-mile island, split between two counties that hosts three municipalities, now has two bridges. North Carolina Department of Transportation’s new $53 million bridge will replace Surf City’s 1950s-era swing bridge and improve traffic flow on and off the island.
RELATED: Topsail Island’s new high-level bridge is on track to replace obsolete swing bridge
Ahead of schedule
NCDOT’s Topsail Island Bridge Replacement project is nearly complete, with new incentives offering the contractor up to $3 million to finish construction ahead of schedule.
Since NCDOT increased the project’s incentive amount from $1 to $3 million in March, the contractor has upped its staff in order to earn the maximum amount, according to Brian Rick, NCDOT spokesman.
“The contractor has been working toward delivering the project to the public and earning the entire incentive amount,” Rick said. “The contractor has already increased their staff and brought additional resources to the project; they are working hard to get this done.”
Two roundabouts, one a four-way roundabout on the mainland and one three-way roundabout on the island, are expected to relieve traffic pressures during the tourist season.
According to the state contract, every day the project runs past Sept. 25, 2019, the contractor will be fined $10,000. However, that’s not likely to happen, given the state’s new incentives.
“They’re saying before the first of this year we’ll be driving on that bridge,” Todd Rademacher, Surf City’s planning director said.
Changes for Surf City
With N.C. 210 connecting the mainland on North Topsail, Surf City’s swing bridge is the only other way to access the island. NCDOT’s 65-foot high, 0.9-mile long bridge will provide two bicycle lanes and a 10-foot multi-use path, barricaded by a concrete barrier.
“It’s a big deal,” Rademacher said.
Surf City’s swing bridge opens at the top of the hour for all boat traffic and at any time for commercial vessels.
“One 15 or 20 minute bridge opening and you’re talking about traffic backed up all the way on 210,” Rademacher said. “There’s a lot of little stops that add up to a lot of backed up traffic, which will be gone in a few months.”
When the project nears completion, Rademacher said city staff hopes to reach an agreement with NCDOT regarding improving pedestrian access and parking on the island.
“Once they get the bridge done, and cleaned up, we think it’s going to open up some parking opportunities for the town,” Rademacher said. “But none of that has been finalized.”
Learn more about the Topsail Island Bridge Replacement project on NCDOT’s website.
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