U.S. 17 Bypass to be completed two years early

Star News - Gov. Bev Perdue announced Friday afternoon that the final stretch of the U.S. 17 Wilmington Bypass would be completed in 2018, about two years earlier than expectedIn a phone interview, Perdue cited recently released population figures that showed New Hanover and Brunswick counties continuing to grow. She said both counties are “red hot” and the growing number of people exacerbates the need for better roads.  “This is the right thing to do for jobs and the future of Wilmington,” the governor said.  Perdue announced that several urban loop projects in the state scheduled to begin between 2014 and 2019 would begin earlier. She attributed the accelerated schedule mainly to available cash and cost savings from a favorable construction environment.

All grading and structures work on the “B” section of the U.S. 17 bypass – from U.S. 74/76 in Brunswick County to U.S. 421 in New Hanover County – would be consolidated into one contract in 2013, according to a news release from the governor's office.  Paving would be done under a separate contract in 2017, allowing the project to be finished by 2018, roughly two years earlier than previously projected.  “This is great news for mobility in this region,” said Mike Kozlosky, executive director of the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization, a transportation planning agency.  When finished, the bypass will stretch from U.S. 17 in northern New Hanover County to U.S. 17 in Brunswick County.The “A” section of the bypass – from U.S. 17 to U.S. 74/76 in Brunswick County – is expected to be open to traffic in 2013, Kozlosky said. That will leave a hole between U.S. 74/76 in Brunswick and U.S. 421 in New Hanover until that final stretch opens.


The acceleration of bypass construction has been endorsed by municipalities throughout Brunswick and New Hanover counties. The highway has been the top priority for regional transportation planners for more than a decade.  “This project's been in the pipeline for a long time,” Kozlosky said.  Perdue also announced that other urban loop projects would be expedited, including the widening of Interstate 485 in Charlotte and urban loops around Greensboro.  According to the news release, the money to accelerate the projects was made available in three ways:  By using the design/build method, which allows design and construction to take place simultaneously, and coordinating construction on three separate projects in the Charlotte area, the N.C. Department of Transportation saved about $130 million. 

By saving nearly 20 percent on construction contract bids during the past year.  By putting loop projects on hold last year, allowing cash to build up.  Perdue also said she hoped a special fund she created for transportation projects – known as the Mobility Fund – would help build the Cape Fear Skyway during her second term as governor. Of course, she still must win a second, four-year term in 2012.  The proposed Skyway would connect Brunswick and New Hanover counties with a 9.5-mile toll road and high-rise bridge across the Cape Fear River.  “I want the Cape Fear Skyway to happen while I'm governor,” she said.