The North Carolina Department of Transportation is considering Wrightsville Beach staff and leaders’ requests to delay a drawbridge inspection and associated lane closures scheduled for June 27–30. As of press time, no decision had been reached.
Town staff, leaders and residents were perplexed and concerned by the DOT’s decision, announced in a June 21 press release, to perform a routine, biannual drawbridge inspection just days before the July 4 weekend. The inspection requires crews intermittently close one of the drawbridge’s lanes in each direction between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
“It’s just a very bad week to do an inspection,” said Sue Bulluck, Wrightsville Beach Chamber of Commerce president. “It lacks forethought, in terms of encouraging more ease of traffic flow for tourists who are coming and spending, literally, hundreds of dollars a day to get here.”
Bulluck said she remembered the DOT agreeing to attempt to schedule maintenance and inspections for the offseason after summer bridgework two years ago caused frustration.
Wrightsville Beach Mayor Bill Blair said he hopes the inspection can be delayed until the winter. The DOT’s inspection announcement came as a surprise to him and other board members.
As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, town manager Tim Owens said he had been in contact with DOT personnel and they were “mulling it over,” but he expected a decision within a few hours. Check www.
luminanews.com for updates
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