A proposed Coral Drive sidewalk that created controversy among Wrightsville Beach residents when it was introduced in 2014 has taken longer to get started than town officials anticipated, but they are now ready to hire an engineering firm to begin preliminary work.
During the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen’s June 8 meeting, town leaders will vote whether to hire SEPI Engineering & Construction to start preliminary surveying and engineering work. SEPI is also currently working on several other projects around town, like creating additional parking on Old Causeway Drive.
In a letter to the town, SEPI outlined the project and identified potential challenges. Several of those challenges, like the expected impact to Coral Drive residents’ yards, were among the issues of contention during past town meetings.
During a series of public hearings, Coral Drive residents spoke against the project based on the town’s initial design, which showed a 5-foot-wide sidewalk separated from the east side of the road by a 10-foot grassy area. In all, the project would extend about 15 feet into residents’ yards, although town staff pointed out that land is in the N.C. Department of Transportation right-of-way.
SEPI anticipates impacts to private landscaping where the landscaping encroaches into the right-of-way, but stated that its design team would work to mitigate the impacts as much as possible.
SEPI’s engineers will also strive to minimize stormwater runoff. The existing ditch on the east side of Coral Drive might have to be modified, SEPI stated, if there isn’t enough room to install the sidewalk between the ditch and the road, so construction might include installing a curb and gutter.
Those in favor of the project said the sidewalk would create a safer path for children walking to Wrightsville Beach School.
SEPI emphasized the importance of public input in guiding the project’s design. It recommended holding a workshop or sending a questionnaire to property owners before the project’s onset to solicit opinions.
“It is important to conduct outreach and gather comments prior to project design to help ensure that reasonable suggestions or requests can be incorporated into the project,” SEPI stated. “Feedback from school staff and students will be also particularly important to this project.”
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