The N.C. Department of Transportation will widen a handful of New Hanover County roadways as Wilmington’s population continues to boom.
With an average of 34 newcomers moving to Wilmington each day, the area’s streets are bracing for sustained traffic spikes in the coming years. NCDOT has dozens of projects in the works to help ease congestion, including constructing several overpasses, replacing the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and reconfiguring some of Wilmington’s busiest intersections.
For some corridors, the fix is a little more straight forward: they will be widened to make room for additional lanes. Some will also be equipped with multi-use paths, serving the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization mission to eliminate traffic-related
deaths by 2036.
Here are three roadway widenings coming to New Hanover.
Gordon Road
Construction on the widening of Gordon Road began in spring 2025. The street has an average traffic volume of 21,000 cars per day, according to NCDOT.
A 2.5-mile stretch of Gordon Road from I-40 to Market Street will be widened to a four-lane street with a raised median. Additionally, a sidewalk and a 10-foot multi-use path will be constructed on either side of the street. Dedicated turn lanes and additional traffic signals are also expected to be installed.
The $81.1 million project is expected to be complete by summer 2029.
College Road
A variety of improvements, including a roadway widening, are proposed along College Road from New Centre Drive to Carolina Beach Road. The busiest stretch of the street, located just south of New Centre, serves an average of 52,000 cars per day, according to NCDOT.
From New Centre Drive to Shipyard Boulevard, NCDOT is planning to add additional thru and turn lanes in each direction, additional turn lanes at Randall Parkway and Wrightsville Avenue, offset left turn movements and a concrete median.
This portion of the project has a total cost of $95.7 million, with construction expected to begin in February 2031.
From Shipyard Boulevard to Carolina Beach Road, NCDOT is considering a variety of improvements including additional thru lanes in each direction with modified superstreet configurations, intersection modifications at Holly Tree Road and continuous flow intersection approaches at South 17th Street.
At $130 million, the project has not yet been funded for construction.
South Front Street
NCDOT will widen South Front Street from the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge to Burnett Boulevard, making the street four lanes. Right-of-way property acquisition is underway, and construction is expected to begin by 2029.
A 10-foot-wide multi-use path will be located along the east side of the street. The intersection at South Front Street, Burnett Boulevard and Carolina Beach Road will be converted to a double quadrant intersection.
Daniel Sheehan covers New Hanover County for the StarNews. Reach him at dsheehan@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Three Wilmington roadways to get additional lanes
