After failed negotiations with landowners, the N.C. Department of Transportation has filed eminent domain cases for 27 properties to make way for a controversial overpass.
NCDOT is taking portions of more than two dozen properties at the corner of Eastwood and Military Cutoff roadsahead of an intersection overhaul. The filings, which range from $9,100 to well over $1 million each, total $7,811,475. The total estimated cost for right-of-way acquisition for the project is $16.9 million.
When asked about the range in purchasing prices, NCDOT Public Information Officer Veronica Scott said that the department uses licensed real estate appraisers to determine fair market values for properties.
What the filings show
The eminent domain cases, filed between early 2025 to August
2026, note that NCDOT and the various landowners have been “unable to agree as to the purchase price of the property.”
The largest acquisition is a $1,551,625 purchase of a portion of 1331 Military Cutoff Road; a property located in the Landfall Shopping Center. CC Landfall LLC, a real estate partnership between Cameron Management, Trask Land Co., SHP Acquisitions and Collett Capital, purchased the 1.2-acre property for $30.75 million in August 2022, according to New Hanover County property records.
Across four separate filings, CC Landfall LLC will receive $2,430,475 from NCDOT.
Other high-dollar acquisitions include $1,021,800 for a portion of the North State Bank Mortgage property at 1411 Commonwealth Drive. NCDOT will also spend $703,700 on a portion of 1712 Eastwood Road, which is occupied by a variety of businesses including CVS Pharmacy.
No buildings are expected to be demolished as part of the overpass project, Scott said.
Separately, NCDOT is also pursuing eminent domain for a handful of properties to make way for the widening of South Front Street.
About the future overpass
NCDOT will build a 30-foot overpass at the intersection of Eastwood and Military Cutoff roads. Work on the $81.4 million project is expected to begin in late 2027, with a targeted completion date of 2031.
Under the current plans, the project will be a single point urban interchange, which consolidates all traffic movements under one large, signalized overpass. Eastwood Road will be elevated over the intersection, eliminating the bottleneck caused by the eight-phase traffic signal that is currently operating.
The Drysdale Drive extension will be utilized to make left turns and reduce the overall number of cars moving through the intersection.
The project has been criticized by neighboring residents who argue that the improvements do not outweigh the potential impacts of the project, which will be under construction during the same time period as the replacement of three Wrightsville Beach bridges.
Daily traffic at the intersection is projected to rise from 75,000 vehicles per day to 100,000 by 2045, according to NCDOT. Without improvements, the intersection’s service level is expected to drop to an F. It currently operates at an E service level, the second worst.
Daniel Sheehan covers New Hanover County for the StarNews. Reach him at dsheehan@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: NCDOT files eminent domain for dozens of Eastwood overpass properties | Exclusive
