The North Carolina Department of Transportation is offering a new, online tool to provide real-time updates on the Wrightsville Beach bridge replacement project set to begin later this year.

Anyone who signs up for the new subscriber list will be kept up to date on the project via email and text.

Those who subscribe will receive newsletter updates featuring photos, videos and construction milestones.

The project entails replacing two bridges along West Salisbury Street over Lees Cut and Banks Channel, and one on Causeway Drive (U.S. 76) over Banks Channel, all of which provide direct access to and from the New Hanover County barrier island.

The estimated $105 million project to replace the aging structures has been designed to improve connectivity and provide long-term, safe and efficient multi-modal waterway crossings, including upgrades for pedestrians and cyclists, according to DOT.

The project is slated to be complete in late 2032.

Drivers in Wrightsville Beach can expect to see work around the West Salisbury Street bridge over Lees Cut as soon as this week as crews prepare to replace the structure some time later this year.

Surveying operations and right-of-way staking will occur in the lead-up to utility relocation, which is anticipated to begin as early as late June and is a critical step in preparing the area to replace the bridge, according to information provided by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Work by contract crews for NCDOT to relocate utilities will require intermittent lane closures. Details regarding specific lane closures, including dates and times, will be released at a later date.

The bridge will remain open to traffic through Labor Day.

The West Salisbury Street bridge over Lees Cut is one of three bridges that provide direct access to and from Wrightsville Beach in New Hanover County.

DOT plans to replace all of these aging structures, including the bridge on West Salisbury Street and the bridge on Causeway Drive that span Banks Channel, “to improve connectivity and provide a long-term, safe, and efficient multi-modal crossing,” according to a department release.

The bridges will include upgrades for walkers and cyclists.

Additional information about the bridge replacements is available at NCDOT’s project webpage and by following NCDOT on social media.

Portions of West Salisbury Street on the bridge over Banks Channel in Wrightsville Beach will be periodically closed from now into May as crews perform drilling operations.

Intermittent lane closures on the bridge between Lookout Harbor and Lagoon Drive will be in place 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday with active flagging operations to direct traffic, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. Pedestrians will be detoured to the north side of the bridge.

The work, which entails drilling operations through the bridge deck for testing, is part of the Wrightsville Beach bridge replacement project, an estimated $105 million endeavor that entails replacing all three bridges that connect the New Hanover County beach town.

While the two bridges along West Salisbury Street (U.S. 74) that cross Less Cut and Banks Channel, and the South Banks Channel Bridge on Causeway Drive (U.S. 76) remain safe, they are nearing the end of their life cycle and require more frequent monitoring, inspection and maintenance, according to DOT.  

Drivers are encouraged to allow extra time for travel and to use caution when crossing the bridge. The work is expected to take about three weeks.