N.C. Department of Transportation will pause construction this coming weekend in expectation of boosted traffic flows during the Memorial Day holiday. Travel could increase by 60% compared to this time last year, according to AAA Travel, although that number doesn’t approach pre-pandemic levels.
The construction pause starts this Friday and ends Tuesday morning, in an effort to decrease road hazards at a time when vehicular congestion will be hefty.
According to an NCDOT press release, law enforcement agencies statewide have begun the “Memorial Day Weekend Click It or Ticket campaign,” which includes “checkpoints at various locations around the state through June 6 looking for vehicle occupants without seat belts, impaired drivers and other violations.”
NCDOT lists major projects on an interactive map that offers tips on roadway incidents. There are four projects in the Wilmington area listed on the map: the Military Cutoff extension project, Market Street roadway work in Ogden, inspections for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, and soil stabilization on MLK Parkway.
In cases where construction conditions do not allow for the opening of all traffic lanes — like the rebuilding or widening of highways — construction could still continue over Memorial Day weekend, according to NCDOT
According to an NCDOT spokesperson, there will be no lane closures for the Military Cutoff Project nor MLK Parkway. The Market Street construction will maintain its current traffic shift, with two lanes available in each direction; and the bridge project is expected to be completed prior to this weekend.
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