This is one of those stories that’s hard for us to write… actually, it’s hard for us to even think about. We prefer to share our passion for the Cape Fear region. Everyone at JFB has moved to Wilmington from some other part of the country. We’ve each fallen in love with this special place, and we’re excited to help others discover it, too.
But any booming area is going to have some growth pains, and right now many folks in this region are bracing for traffic issues that will take place over the next five months.
Starting this month, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will begin repair work on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge. This is one of three bridges that spans the Cape Fear River and connects Wilmington and New Hanover County to our neighbors in Brunswick County. The work will initially only take place at night. Starting on January 11, traffic coming into Wilmington will be limited to one lane.
But just a couple of weeks later, scheduled now for January 28, the work will start taking place throughout the day.
Right now, NCDOT plans on pausing the work during Azalea Festival week. After the festival is over, one westbound lane (outbound from Wilmington) will be closed for approximately two months until the repairs are complete. The entire project should be wrapped up by the end of May.
Make no mistake, this will test a lot of people’s patience. The work should cause disruptions not just on the bridge but also on many side streets.
The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is a state-owned bridge. It was built in 1969. The work starting this month will repair the movable grid deck and the beams that support the structure.