The city has taken another step toward a potential realignment of the rail lines that wind through Wilmington.

Through the Mayor’s Task Force on Rail Realignment, chaired by former council member Laura Padgett, city officials have posted a Request for Proposals for the preparation of a feasibility study on the matter. The study will address impacts of the project, including safety issues along the current rail line, economic benefits of realigning the track across the river to connect more directly to the Port of Wilmington, financing and environmental effects, according to a city news release. 
 
“We hope when the feasibility study is complete that we will be able to better define this potential project and know whether it can be accomplished. Knowing what complications affect the project will hopefully help move it forward to the benefit of Wilmington and the region,” Padgett said in the release.

She also said the project is “an important partnership with the city, the Wilmington Urban Area MPO’s Transportation Advisory Committee and the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Rail Division, who are sharing the cost of the feasibility study.” 

The City Council agreed Aug. 18 to support the $300,000 feasibility study, for which the city is paying $100,000, and the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and N.C. Department of Transportation are splitting the rest.
 
Oversight and completion of the feasibility study process and completion is the first mission of the rail realignment task force. The first formal progress report from the panel to the Wilmington City Council will be Feb. 16, in keeping with the Mayor’s charge to provide an update every six months, according to the release.

The deadline to provide proposals is 5 p.m. Feb. 24, and the RFP is available on the city’s website.