After a series of delays to the overall project, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has announced that construction of the second part of the Hampstead Bypass on U.S. Highway 17 near the southeast coast will now begin sooner than originally planned.

According to the state agency, the portion of the roadway from N.C. Highway 140, on the northeastern edge of Wilmington, to N.C. 210 in the town of Hampstead, is slated to begin work in the summer of 2025, rather than the original start time in the fall of 2026. The corridor runs between New Hanover and Pender counties.

Recently, NCDOT and the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO) agreed to adjust this and several other projects in the draft 2024-2033 State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP).

"I am glad we agreed to move this project forward," said Chad Kimes, an NCDOT Division 3 engineer. "Together, NCDOT and WMPO understand how important it is to the people who live, work and visit the area."

Construction on the first part of the 13-mi.-long Hampstead Bypass began in March, which will extend from N.C. 210 to north of Hampstead. Once both sections are complete, the bypass is expected to improve safety and relieve congestion in the area.

It has a total estimated project cost of $429 million.

The often-controversial Hampstead Bypass is seen by NCDOT as the primary solution to ease the traffic that streams south on U.S. 17 toward Wilmington. Rapid growth in eastern Pender and northeastern New Hanover counties has added even more pressure to the coast-hugging national highway, which runs from Punta Gorda in southwest Florida to west of Washington, D.C.

Even with rapid growth in the last 10 years and more homes and schools on the way, U.S. 17 is still the only commercial road and travel route through the Hampstead area. More than 43,000 vehicles a day travel on the highway through the community, according to the latest traffic counts.

It also has not gone unnoticed by state transportation officials that Hampstead's population grew by almost 72 percent between 2010 and 2020, and now has just over 7,000 residents, making it one of the state's fastest-growing communities.

Earlier improvements to the U.S. 17 corridor included a separate project from south of Washington Acres Road through Hampstead to Vista Lane. In the summer of 2018, a new alignment connection — now known as the Safe Passage Way — was built between Dan Owen Drive and Factory Road, according to NCDOT.

Three Other Wilmington Road Projects Adjusted

NCDOT and WMPO also changed the proposed timelines of other future projects in the Wilmington area:

• An upgrade to the intersections of U.S. 76/Oleander Drive at Greenville Loop Road and Greenville Avenue has been accelerated with construction planned to begin in 2029.
• Work to improve Front Street will start with acquisition of right of way in 2025 and construction in 2027.
• A widening of U.S. 421/Carolina Beach Road from N.C. 132/South College Road to Sanders Road, along with the construction of flyovers at U.S. 421 and N.C. 132, has been moved forward to 2027.

The state's Board of Transportation likely will adopt the 2024-33 STIP in spring 2023, NCDOT said.

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