Description

The N.C. Department of Transportation proposes to build a new bridge to replace the existing swing bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway on N.C. 50/210 in Surf City. This is one of two bridges providing access to Topsail Island.

The existing bridge is a steel truss swing span bridge that was built in the 1950s and is due for replacement. The new bridge will address the existing needs as follows:

• Provide a connecting structure between the mainland and the island with sufficient capacity allowing for emergency access, hurricane evacuation, and acceptable travel times.
• Improve the structural capacity of the bridge.
• Provide consistency with state/local land use and transportation plans.

News and Updates

A series of Public Officials Meetings were held on June 24-25, 2009 with Topsail Beach, Surf City and North Topsail Beach community representatives. The first Citizens’ Informational Workshop (CIW #1) was held on June 25, 2009 at the Surf City Community Center.

The workshop was an informal open house with over 350 citizens in attendance. The attendees were first shown a video that provided an overview of the study bridge, potential bridge types, and the project schedule. They also had an opportunity to interact with Project Team members, ask questions, share ideas, draw new bridge alignments on aerial mapping, and complete comment cards. A summary of the public comments is included in the second project newsletter, which was mailed to area citizens in March, 2010.

• Newsletter #1 (June 2009)

Coordination with Environmental Agencies:

The feedback obtained from the CIW #1 was presented at the first public agency Merger meeting. The Merger process consists of a series of meetings devoted to streamlining the project development and permitting processes, agreed to by the US Army Corps of Engineers, NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Division of Water Quality, and Wildlife Resources Commission), Federal Highway Administration, and NCDOT and supported by other stakeholder agencies and local units of government. To this effect, the Merger process provides a forum for appropriate agency representatives to discuss and reach consensus on ways to facilitate and satisfy regulatory requirements.

The first Merger meeting was held on August 20, 2009. The intent of this meeting was to agree on the project’s Purpose and Need and Study Area. The environmental agencies agreed on the following:

• Need for Proposed Action - Structurally deficient, functionally obsolete bridge.
• Purpose of Proposed Action - Improve bridge safety and functionality.
• Design Study Area – This was developed based on feasible alternatives suggested during CIW #1 and developed by the Project Team. Click here to view a figure showing this study area. A bridge is structurally deficient when it has elements that need to be monitored and/or repaired to maintain its structural integrity. It does not mean that the bridge is unsafe. A bridge is functionally obsolete when its layout no longer meets current design standards for width shoulders, and rails.

What’s Next?

The next step in the project development process is to prepare alternatives. Each alternative will be evaluated based on environmental impacts, costs and how well they meet the purpose and need. Results from the designs and comparisons will be presented to the public at the next Citizens’ Informational Workshop scheduled for Fall 2010.

Project Highlights

Schedule:

• June 25, 2009 - Citizens Informational Workshop #1 – Project Information
• Fall 2010 - Citizens Informational Workshop #2 – Evaluation of Alternatives
• Fall 2011 – Environmental Assessment Complete & Corridor Project Public Hearing
• Spring 2012 - Selection of Preferred Alternative
• Summer 2012 – Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) Complete
• Fall 2012 – Design Public Hearing
• 2013* – Right-of-Way Acquisition Begins
• 2015* – Construction Begins

* Based on 2009-2015 NCDOT Transportation Improvement Program, which will be updated in summer 2010.

The Project Development Process

The Topsail Island Bridge Replacement project development, environmental studies, and engineering will be conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is a federal law enacted in 1970 that requires the Federal Government to consider the environmental impacts of, and alternatives to, major proposed actions in its decision-making processes. The act is the basic national charter for the protection of the environment. Under NEPA, an environmental document is required for any projects that receive federal funds.

As a part of this process, the project team will prepare several studies to evaluate the direct or indirect potential project impacts in the study area. The project study area will include the entire Topsail Island including the towns of Topsail Beach, Surf City and North Topsail Beach and the mainland portion of Surf City between the Intracoastal Waterway and US 17.

Over the next few months, you can expect to see different project team members visit the area. You may notice biologists, environmental scientists, engineers, planners, surveyors and architectural historians surveying the area. Each has a different field of expertise that provides information the project team needs to develop an effective project as well as minimize the impacts to the community and environment.

Team members may snap photographs, make notes, take measurements or mark important locations. However, these markers are only surveying and documentation guides and they do not necessarily indicate that your property will be impacted by the project.

As representatives of the State of North Carolina, we strive to treat you and your land, home or business with respect and courtesy. NCDOT kindly asks that you allow our staff on your property to conduct the necessary studies. If the highest standards of customer service are not observed or if you have questions, please contact the project team at 1-877-392-5996.

Project Videos

Project Photos

Contact Information

Resources for Local Property Owners

In many cases, it is inevitable that a certain amount of private property must be acquired. The displacement of homes and businesses is minimized to the extent practicable. The following brochures will answer questions about this process.