The North Carolina Department of Transportation is hosting a meeting today in Wrightsville Beach to present and discuss proposals to replace the Heide Trask Drawbridge. The meeting is today, Tuesday, May 21, at the Fran Russ Recreation Center, located behind Wrightsville Beach Town Hall, from 4:30 – 7 p.m. Below are details of the five concepts that the NCDOT is proposing:
Concept 1
Construction Costs $66,500,000Â
Utility Relocation Costs $1,500,000
Right-of-Way Cost  $ 1,600,000
Total Costs $69,600,000
Relocations: 0
Concept 1 includes replacing the existing drawbridge with a new drawbridge to be located north of the existing structure, with a three-legged roundabout replacing the current US 74 (Salisbury Street) / US 76 (Causeway Drive) intersection configuration east of the bridge. The intersection at Airlie Road would become a right-in-right-out (RIRO) only movement. The bridge typical section features a bike lane on each side and a multi-use path on one side (north) to connect the Cross-City Trail in Wilmington to the existing multi-use path network on Wrightsville Beach.
Concept 2
Construction Costs $71,700,000
Utility Relocation Costs  $2,900,000
Right-of-Way Costs  $31,400,000
Total Costs  $106,000,000
Relocations: Residential 45; Business 2
Concept 2 includes replacing the existing drawbridge with a new drawbridge to be located south of the existing structure, with a three-legged roundabout replacing the current US 74 (Salisbury Street) / US 76 (Causeway Drive) intersection configuration east of the bridge. The intersection at Airlie Road would become a RIRO only movement. The southern drawbridge features a larger bridge typical section than the northern drawbridge, providing a bike lane on each side and a multi-use path on each side. The multi-use path on the north side serves to connect the Cross-City Trail to the multi-use path network on Wrightsville Beach, and the multi-use path on the south side replaces the existing (to be removed) sidewalk on Causeway Drive, tying to existing sidewalk across the waterway.
Concept 3
Construction Costs $67,100,000
Utility Relocation Costs  $2,000,000
Right-of-Way Costs  $43,000,000
Total Costs  $112,100,000
Relocations: Residential 117; Business 1
Concept 3 includes replacing the existing drawbridge with a high-rise bridge to be located north of the existing structure, with a four-legged roundabout replacing the current US 74 (Salisbury Street) / US 76 (Causeway Drive) intersection configuration east of the bridge. Residents along Summer Rest Road and businesses along Airlie Road would lose direct access to US 74 (Wrightsville Avenue). The bridge typical section features a bike lane on each side and a multiuse path on one side (north) to connect the Cross-City Trail in Wilmington to the existing multi-use path network on Wrightsville Beach.
Concept 4
Construction Costs $76,600,000
Utility Relocation Costs  $3,200,000
Right-of-Way Costs $42,700,000
Total Costs  $122,500,000
Relocations: Residential 45; Business 7
Concept 4 includes replacing the existing drawbridge with a high-rise bridge to be located south of the existing structure, with a four-legged roundabout replacing the current US 74 (Salisbury Street) / US 76 (Causeway Drive) intersection configuration east of the bridge. Residents along Summer Rest Road and businesses along Airlie Road would lose direct access to US 74 (Wrightsville Avenue). The southern drawbridge features a larger bridge typical section than the northern drawbridge, providing a bike lane on each side and a multi-use path on each side. The multi-use path on the north side serves to connect the Cross-City Trail to the multi-use path network on Wrightsville Beach, and the multi-use path on the south side replaces the existing (to be removed) sidewalk on Causeway Drive, tying to existing sidewalk across the waterway.
Concept 5
Construction Costs $65,700,000
Utility Relocation Costs  $1,400,000
Right-of-Way Costs $22,000,000
Total Costs $89,200,000
Relocations: Residential 12; Business 0
Concept 5 includes replacing the existing drawbridge with a new drawbridge to be located north of the existing structure, with the current US 74 (Salisbury Street) / US 76 (Causeway Drive) intersection configuration being maintained east of the bridge. The intersection at Airlie Road would become a RIRO only movement. The bridge typical section features a bike lane on each side and a multi-use path on one side (north) to connect the Cross-City Trail in Wilmington to the existing multi-use path network on Wrightsville Beach.
