Love Wilmington but hate the traffic and congestion that comes with the busy intersections and main roads? Division 3 of the NC DOT has noted these issues and are making some huge changes. New Hanover County has recently proposed 36 highway projects that are planned to be completed from 2020 through 2029.
Among these include some of the largest intersections and roads in Wilmington, such as:
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- Market St. and MLK
- College Rd. and MLK
- College Rd. and Oleander Drive
- College Rd. and Carolina Beach Rd.
- Military Cutoff and Eastwood Rd.
- US 421 at Isabel Holmes Bridge
Other major projects with upcoming status updates from the NC DOT include:
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- Independence Blvd. Extension
- Front St. Widening
- Cape Fear Memorial Bridge Replacement
- Hampstead Bypass
Many of these intersections and road expansions are described as SPUI Interchange Projects. But what exactly is a SPUI and why is it important? SPUI stands for a single point urban interchange, which is a type of highway interchange designed to help move large volumes of traffic through limited amounts of space (urban areas) safely and efficiently. Builders are focused on this type of interchange because many roads in Wilmington do not have any room to grow, and the excessive amount of traffic is only going to increase in these areas over the next couple of years.
The majority of proposed projects are using SPUI, but there is another interchange being proposed: TUDI. This acronym stands for a tight diamond urban interchange. This is a compressed version of a SPUI used for areas where there are limited areas of space. An example of a location where a TUDI would be built is Market Street or Independence Blvd.
Many agree that these changes will help Wilmington tremendously, including Steve Warwick from the Maus, Warwick, & Matthews team. Steve notes that “most of these improvements have been years in the making, so we are glad to see them begin construction. They will definitely help with traffic around the area.”
Visit the NCDOT for more information about these upcoming projects.