WILMINGTON – A North Carolina construction company has been awarded a project on a major New Hanover County road.
The contractor, Sealand Contractors Corp. of Charlotte, will widen Market Street (U.S. 17 Business) in New Hanover County between Middle Sound Loop Road and Marsh Oaks Drive, approximately 1.6 miles.
The work will include widening and paving the existing corridor, updating drainage, adding signals and installing a raised concrete median. The contract is worth $24.6 million.
In 2018, more than 52,000 vehicles traveled on Market Street daily. That number is projected to grow to more than 65,000 a day over the next 20 years.
Construction can begin as early as April. The roadway portion of the contract is expected to wrap up in May 2022, with additional vegetation work continuing into late that year.
Because it’s a heavily travelled road, the contractor will be restricted from closing any lanes of traffic between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days a week. Nightly lane closures should be expected, but at no time will Market Street be closed to through traffic.
This is one of 21 highway and bridge projects awarded recently by the NCDOT. Per state law they went to the lowest bidder among qualified contractors. The 21 projects combined are worth $331.5 million, more than $57 million under engineer estimates.