PENDER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) held a public meeting Monday to discuss a proposed traffic improvement project at several intersections in Surf City, driven by the area’s growing population.
The project targets NC-210, NC-50, and Belt Road. Areas that have seen increasing congestion as more residents move to Pender County.
NCDOT is proposing new turning lanes and medians along NC-210, Belt Road, and NC-50, as well as a new traffic signal at the intersection of NC-50/NC-210 and Charlie Medlin Drive.
Zachary Howard, a project manager with NCDOT Division III, said the project’s primary objective is to ease access to and from Surf City and Topsail Island.
“The main goal of the project is to alleviate congestion at the main intersection of NC-210, NC-50, and Belt Road to make it easier to get onto Surf City Topsail Island, and a little bit easier to get off of Topsail Island as well,” Howard said.
Surf City Town Manager Kyle Breuer said the project is part of ongoing efforts to keep pace with regional growth.
“We’re constantly working with DOT to identify projects that will bring efficiency to our roadway, increase our safety. As we continue to experience growth not just here in Surf City but also in our surrounding areas,” Breuer said.
The concept for the project began nearly 10 years ago, but the current design is not the first one considered. Howard said a previous “Quadrant Road” option presented in September 2024 was scrapped after public feedback and a traffic analysis prompted engineers to start over.
“Based on public feedback and from some traffic analysis, a big traffic analysis, we had to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new design that better accommodated the traffic as expected for the area in the coming years,” Howard said.
Howard said NCDOT designs projects with a 20-year horizon in mind.
“We typically look 20 years after the start of construction for our design year for calculating the number of vehicles that we expect to have in that design year. We try to accommodate those with our design,” Howard said.
Property acquisition is expected to begin in the fall of 2027, with construction slated to start in the spring of 2030. Howard said NCDOT plans to limit disruptions to drivers during the construction phase.
“We are looking at lane closure restrictions for our contractor to limit interruptions to the traveling public at the peak hours in the morning and in the evening, and on some weekends,” Howard said. “We’re trying to do as much of the work at night as possible so that we have limited interruption to the traffic.”
Some residents said the congestion is a daily challenge. Kim Brown said traffic near grocery stores is particularly difficult during peak seasons.
“Grocery shops certain hours of the day during the summer, it’s a little bit difficult,” Brown said.
Brown said she supports the project but wishes it had come sooner.
“I’m a big cheerleader for it. I think it’s great. It’s a little too late, unfortunately, but I think it’s terrific. The plans are great. We need sidewalks, we want more walkability,” Brown said.
The public comment period closes March 23. Howard said NCDOT will compile all submitted comments, provide a written response to each, and post them on the project’s website before moving into the design phase.
Residents can submit feedback by visiting the project’s website.
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