“The week of the Azalea Festival…the contractor will not be utilizing any lane closures,” Joshua Pratt, resident engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation, said at a news conference on Wednesday.
The 77th annual North Carolina Azalea Festival is set for April 3-7. Contractors will remain on site during the week of the festival to complete additional work that will not have an impact on the reopening of the four lanes, Pratt said.
The months-long, $7.1 million preservation project on the bridge will ultimately replace the bridge’s existing grid deck and the support beams — called stringers — for the drivable deck. The 12 stringers on the 55-year-old bridge were sagging and in need of replacement, NCDOT officials previously said.
“All of the grid deck and the stringers…are in for all 12 bays,” Pratt said, discussing the progress of construction carried out during the closure of the eastbound lanes. Remaining work, including paint touch ups and wire cable maintenance, will continue until all lanes reopen to traffic.
Work on the eastbound lanes of the bridge began in January. The closure of the lanes had significant traffic impacts on the detour route across the Isabel Holmes Bridge, and across Wilmington and northern Brunswick County.
The reopening of the eastbound lanes will occur on the evening of March 30. Work will begin at 7 p.m. to reestablish pavement markings and remove traffic control devices. Lanes are expected to reopen to traffic by March 31.
IMAP drivers will remain in the area for the duration of the Azalea Festival and throughout the entirety of the westbound lane closures. The temporary barrier wall, which is currently in place in the eastbound lanes, will be moved to the westbound lanes.
“We’re going to be ready to respond and repair,” Trevor Carroll, division maintenance engineer with NCDOT, said when asked about NCDOT readiness for potential accidents or emergencies during the week of the festival.
Following the festival, work for the westbound lane closures is expected to begin at 7 p.m. on April 8. Lane closures can be expected sometime around midnight.
As for anticipated traffic impacts with the upcoming westbound lane closures, Carroll said Wilmington residents commuting to Brunswick County should prepare for increased commute times on the morning and afternoon of April 9 following the closure of the westbound lanes.
In comparison to the eastbound lane closures, travelers can expect commute times to differ by approximately three or four minutes, Carroll said. The NCDOT is continually working to decrease commute times and traffic impacts.
The planned detour route for westbound lane closures is similar to that used during the closure of the eastbound lanes, Carroll said.
“We’re still going to have both options for travelers to utilize MLK over to Isabel Holmes, or (drivers) can travel further north to 140 and use that to get over to Brunswick County,” Carroll said. The NCDOT is still evaluating multiple intersections and continuing to run models and design improvements and minimize congestion in those areas.
The current traffic detour, which includes two right turn lanes onto the Isabel Holmes Bridge, will be restored to the previous traffic pattern. The use of a single right turn lane will be reimplemented, Carroll said. Signal timings will be monitored and adjusted as needed throughout the closure of the westbound lanes.
Carroll encouraged all travelers to consider travel times, adjust work schedules, and telework when possible, adding that driver modifications which took place during the closure of the eastbound lanes helped to mitigate traffic impacts.
“We are looking at modifying (the intersection) at MLK and College,” Carroll said. “As we get closer to making those changes, we will notify everyone.” NCDOT is also considering modifications at the intersection between U.S. 74 and U.S. 421.
Currently, the bridge is set to fully reopen on Memorial Day weekend.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Cape Fear Memorial Bridge project: Here’s the latest