The North Carolina State Ports Authority (NC Ports) is set to receive a nearly $11 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to assist in paying for the relocation and optimization of the Port of Wilmington's North Gate.
NC Ports announced Nov. 2 that the grant was awarded by USDOT through the Maritime Administration's FY2023 Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).
The project is designed to eliminate truck delays and congestion at a very active nearby railroad crossing and bring the port entrance closer to the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and the national highway network.
Additionally, the funds will support moving the current North Gate port entrance, at 1870 Burnett Blvd., to the designated truck route and away from neighborhood streets.
Improvements to South Front Street, funded for construction in 2027 via the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), will complement the project by widening the roadway from two lanes to four lanes and relocating the rail to minimize rail crossings. Together, these efforts will close the gap of the first and last mile to and from the Port of Wilmington, NC Ports said.
"This project aligns with our long-term vision to provide safe and efficient access to the Port of Wilmington, ultimately enabling port growth while reducing bottlenecks and truck emissions," explained Brian E. Clark, executive director of NC Ports. "[It] will greatly improve the port-user experience and the movement of goods for existing general cargo customers. The new port entrance will also allow our team to accommodate projected volume growth while laying a foundation for future expansion."
Plans also include the construction of a new badging office that will provide electric vehicle charging stations, a truck queuing and cargo control area, and a vehicle/truck turnaround area.
The PIDP grant, totaling $10.96 million, will fund 38 percent of the nearly $28.5 million project, with NC Ports providing the remaining funds.
"We have to get final approval from USDOT to begin," Doug Vogt, NC Ports's CEO, told WECT-TV in Wilmington. "We're finishing up our environmental and our design work, but really once we get full approval, we're looking at a two-year construction project."
With deepwater port locations in Wilmington and Morehead City, plus an inland port in Charlotte and intermodal rail access through CSX's Carolina Connector (CCX) in Rocky Mount, NC Ports links the state's consumers, businesses, and industries to world markets.
NC Ports's commitment to meet and exceed industry standards while increasing efficiency has positioned the Port of Wilmington at the top of the latest S&P Global — World Bank Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), ranking it as the most productive port in North America and the 44th most productive worldwide.
State to Spend $45M On Freeway Interchange Near Charlotte
New funding will speed up improvements to an often-gridlocked Charlotte freeway interchange, state and local officials announced Nov. 2.
The Charlotte Observer reported that North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore allocated $45 million in House Contingency funds to accelerate the redesign of what he called one of the most congested interchanges in the state.
The money will fund the design and construction of a revamped Interstate 85/Interstate 485 interchange in western Mecklenburg County, near the Gaston County line and Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.
With the money, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will begin work on the project "no later than 2025," instead of waiting till at least 2033, said Moore, who does not plan to run for reelection in 2024 and is the subject of speculation about a congressional bid.
"That's going to make a huge difference for the men and women and families who travel this road every day to get to and from work, to and from home, taking children to school, and to all the commerce that happens here with tractor trailers, those who are coming in and doing business," he explained at the Nov. 2 press conference near the interchange. "This will make a tremendous difference, not just for Mecklenburg County, but for this entire region of North Carolina."
The project's scope "includes the construction of additional lanes that will increase capacity for traffic merging from I-485 to I-85 southbound," NCDOT said in a letter to Moore confirming the funding.
Frequently snarled traffic at the existing interchange is a headache for drivers, a safety risk and a drag on the region's economy, Moore noted.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, who Moore credited for lobbying for the project alongside City Council members Ed Driggs and Tariq Bokhari, as well as Gaston County officials, called the funding good news for the city's economy because of the proximity to the airport and other businesses.
"It's not just about the traffic," Lyles said. "It is really not just a transportation project."
The $45 million comes from a pool of $100 million set aside in the state budget to be used at Moore's discretion, according to the Observer.
Asked about the timing of the announcement, he said the money being available now is what made it the right time to double-down.
"We had the funds, simple as that," Moore explained. "This has been something we've been working on here for over a year, really, and we finally in this year's budget had the money to be able to allocate it."
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