Two of Wilmington’s busiest streets are slated for major improvements after plans for an overpass at their intersection were scrapped.
The corner of South College Road
and Oleander Drive is notorious for being heavily congested. The latest data from the N.C. Department of Transportation shows that roughly 47,000 vehicles drive that stretch of South College every day, with approximately 27,000 cars on the intersecting part of Oleander.Plans for a $184.6 million overpass at the corner were officially deleted from the State Transportation Improvement Program in June 2025, NCDOT Public Information Officer Veronica Scott said. However, another project will bring a variety of improvements to South College, including upgrades at the Oleander intersection.
With the overpass plans canceled, the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has recommended reallocating the project’s prioritization points – which determine how quickly construction can begin – to other improvements along Oleander.
What's next for College Road?
NCDOT has proposed improvements along College Road from New Centre Drive to just south of Shipyard Boulevard. The work includes additional thru and turn lanes in each direction, additional turn lanes at Randall Parkway and Wrightsville Avenue, a concrete median and offset left turn movements.
Scott said that although the project was on hold for a few years, it is now progressing forward and includes improvements at the College and Oleander intersection.
Construction on the $95.7 million project is scheduled for February 2031.
In a separate project, NCDOT will also improve College Road from Shipyard Boulevard to Carolina Beach Road. Improvements being considered include 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.
The $130.5 million project is currently unfunded and does not have a scheduled construction date. Right of way acquisition started in October 2025.
What's next for Oleander Drive?
Access management improvements will be made along a 2.5-mile stretch of Oleander Drive. The work will run from Pine Grove Drive to Greenville Loop Road. Planned improvements include a raised median, turning lanes and driveway access closures.
The total cost of the project is $86.1 million. A construction date has not yet been set.
Daniel Sheehan covers New Hanover County for the StarNews. Reach him at dsheehan@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Work slated for 2 Wilmington roads after NCDOT scraps overpass plans
