A proposed sidewalk on Coral Drive is a matter of contention for Wrightsville Beach residents.
The sidewalk would be built using funds from a Surface Transportation Project-Direct Apportionment (STP-DA) grant. The amount of the grant is $292,000 with the town matching the grant at $58,400 and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) providing funds in the amount of $233,600.
The proposed sidewalk would be 5 feet wide and run along the eastern right-of-way edge of the road from the existing sidewalk to Wrightsville Beach School. The Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO) and the NCDOT require the sidewalk be separated from the travel lane a minimum of 5 feet. The project would also involve the installation of speed humps along Coral Drive to lower speeds and improve safety.
Bill West, who lives on the east side of Coral Drive, expressed concerns about the trees and other landscaping features that would be lost if the sidewalk were constructed. The sidewalk construction would extend 15 feet into residents’ yards, and although that area is within the NCDOT right-of-way, West said residents maintain the area as if it were their private property.
“We consider it part of our yard,” he said during a Dec. 2 phone interview. “We mow it, we clip it and take care of it.”
Construction would involve removing a number of native trees such as wax myrtles and cedar trees, which West said contribute to the beauty of the neighborhood and also serve as a habitat for many birds.
Betty Jackson, who owns and rents two duplexes on the eastern side of Coral Drive, voiced parking concerns. Because Coral Drive is not wide enough for residents to park on the side of the road, her tenants park in the right-of-way if they have company. Should the sidewalk be constructed in the right-of-way, she said, her tenants’ visitors would have nowhere to park.
Jackson said North Channel Drive, which runs parallel to Coral Drive, is a more logical place for students to walk anyway because the sidewalks along that road lead to the High Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) light, where a crossing guard is stationed when school is dismissed.
Town manager Tim Owens met with Jackson to address her other concerns over drainage. Before approving the project, Owens said, the town would have an engineer look closely at the project to make sure the proposed sidewalk wouldn’t cause flooding issues. He said installing an underground pipe in the area might actually improve drainage rather than worsening it.
Many Wrightsville Beach residents, especially those with children enrolled at Wrightsville Beach School, have reacted positively to the proposed sidewalks. School principal MaryPaul Beall said in addition to the students who walk to and from school, the entire fifth grade walks to attend class in nearby Wrightsville Beach Baptist Church.
“There are times when they have to come down to school during the day,” Beall said during a Dec. 2 phone interview. “They will walk the whole class down North Channel Drive because that’s where the sidewalk is, but it would be nice to be able to walk straight down Coral.”
Furthermore, she said other classes occasionally walk down Coral Drive to go on marine science field trips to Wrightsville Beach Park or Seapath Yacht Club.
In an email, Tim Owens outlined the next steps in the process of constructing the proposed sidewalk. The full project, which includes both the Coral Drive sidewalk and pedestrian improvements on Lumina Avenue, would be presented to the board of aldermen in January or February. The board could decide to hold another public hearing on the matter at that time. Any change in the grant would go to the Wilmington MPO for approval. Then, the town would move forward on surveying, engineering and design for both projects. At that point, the board could seek further public feedback on the finalized project proposal.
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