Video courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
The long-planned project will be costly, but promises to dramatically reduce traffic in parts of coastal Pender County, as well as providing better connectivity with neighbor counties.
HAMPSTEAD — The Hampstead Bypass is on schedule to open bids for construction in September 2020, with current total cost estimates topping a quarter-billion dollars.
According to Chad Kimes, Deputy Division Engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the bypass design is roughly 90 percent complete as the state agency continues to contact property owners for right-of-way acquisition.
“We’re excited about this project and we can’t stress enough: this is our top priority,” Kimes said.
The 13-mile, four-lane, divided highway will be built in two sections: the first will extend from I-140 to N.C. 210, connecting to the Military Cutoff extension project currently under construction, and the second from N.C. 210 to U.S. 17, just north of Topsail High School.
Kimes said the agency is finalizing its 10-year funding agenda known as STIP (State Transportation Improvement Program) within the next six weeks, after which estimated construction dates will be more accurate.
On Tuesday, NCDOT design engineer Trace Howell said the current total funding for the project is $263,976,000. The STIP funding for both sections of the bypass are broken down as follows:
- Section A (I-40 to N.C. 210)
Average daily traffic congestion comparisons for the year 2040, using projections gathered during the initial design of the Hampstead Bypass. (Port City Daily photo/Courtesy NCDOT) - Construction – $119,000,000
- Right of Way – $33,560,000
- Section B (N.C. 210 to U.S. 17)
- Construction – $81,600,000
- Right of Way – $29,816,000
On average, Kimes said the bypass will reduce traffic on U.S. 17 in Hampstead by about 50 percent (see detailed average daily traffic congestion comparisons for the year 2040 below). He also said it will cut down overall travel time from Hampstead to areas further south significantly.
“If you’re on the north side of Hampstead and want to get to Wrightsville Beach, it’s going to cut off 10 to 15 minutes easily,” Kimes said. “If you want to go all the way to Brunswick County, you’ll be able to bypass all of Hampstead and all of Wilmington and get you all the way down to the south side of Leland.”
Aside from reducing traffic congestion in Hampstead, Kimes said the bypass was a historical infrastructure project for Pender County and will ultimately spark economic development by connecting the four coastal counties of the Cape Fear region.
In particular, he expects development to occur near the new interchanges and ramps connecting to Hoover Road and N.C. 210. Ultimately, he said the significance of the bypass will likely be seen in the connectivity it will provide between Onslow, Pender, New Hanover, and Brunswick counties.
“That’s huge for economic development,” Kimes said.
Average Daily Traffic Congestion Comparisons 2040
For a visual representation of the 2040 traffic projections listed below, view the NCDOT’s Hampstead Intersection Board.
| Area of U.S. 17 in Hampstead | No Bypass | With Bypass |
| Dollar General/Pender EMS & Fire | 56,000 | 56,000 |
| Sloop Point Loop Road | 60,600 | 60,600 |
| Long Leaf Drive | 61,400 | 61,400 |
| Coastal Mini Storage/U-Haul | 61,400 | 22,500 |
| Transfer Station Road | 62,300 | 22,000 |
| North of Topsail Middle School | 63,100 | 16,200 |
| Topsail School Front Driveway | 64,100 | 16,400 |
| Hampstead Library | 63,500 | 14,800 |
| Carolina Pediatrics | 74,100 | 23,800 |
| Hampstead Furniture & Mattress | 74,400 | 24,100 |
| Hampstead Hardware | 74,800 | 24,500 |
| Sparrows Bend Drive | 75,800 | 25,500 |
| Pender County Government Annex | 76,000 | 25,700 |
| McDonald’s | 77,800 | 23,000 |
| N.C. 210 Intersection (Food Lion) | 77,200 | 22,400 |
| Port City Java | 66,900 | 19,100 |
| Washington Acres Road | 66,200 | 17,600 |
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