Print
Government

Ports Officials Hope To Relocate North Gate Entrance In $20M Project 

By Johanna F. Still, posted May 9, 2022
The North Carolina State Ports Authority is proposing to move its North Gate entrance about two-thirds of a mile north. (Photo courtesy NCSPA)

North Carolina State Ports Authority officials aim to relocate one of its main entrances in Wilmington less than a mile north – a proposed $20 million move designed to improve efficiency and reduce bottlenecking of vehicles blocked by rail traffic. 

In February, the Port of Wilmington’s new South Gate Container Complex opened, providing container-carrying truckers with a new and improved onboarding system intended to further reduce turnaround times. But since that system came online, the new reconfiguration diverted an additional 1,000 trucks to the port’s North Gate entrance, according to environmental documents the ports authority submitted to the state last month.

This North Gate entrance primarily serves non-containerized truck traffic (general cargo) and is open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., whereas the South Gate provides 24-hour access and accommodates container trucks, according to ports spokesperson Christina Hallingse.

Located at 1870 Burnett Blvd., the current North Gate entrance is just outside the Wilmington Terminal Railroad, a 17-mile rail line owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. that provides connectivity to the port and to a CSX interchange.

Trains pass the crossing at Myers Street – blocking the North Gate entrance – an estimated 30 times daily, according to the documents. Each train movement blocks the port driveway an estimated 80 minutes, causing a vehicular backup on Myers Street, Burnette Boulevard and even South Front Street. The ports authority estimates more than 720,000 crossings take place annually. 

To divert congestion away from the current bottlenecking zone, which crosses a residential area, the ports authority hopes to move the entrance about two-thirds of a mile north to an industrially  zoned area. The new entrance is proposed to be located at Greenfield Street and South Front Street, according to Hallingse. This is across the street from the New Anthem Beer Project, and near the former Optimist Park –property the ports authority picked up from the city of Wilmington in February. 

At Greenfield Street, the only current rail traffic is the once-daily inbound and outbound trains, according to Hallingse. 

The environmental documents mark the initial preliminary notice before the project is further studied, pending stakeholder input. Completing a full environmental impact study will take an estimated 12-18 months, Hallingse said, while noting the ports authority is in the “very early stages of planning and development” to determine the project’s feasibility. 

As proposed, the preliminary relocation would complement long-planned road improvement projects in the area, according to Hallingse.

In March, ports authority director of real estate and planning Stephanie Ayers asked the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO) Board of Directors to advocate for funding for two road projects in their legislative agenda. One of the projects would widen over 1 mile of Carolina Beach Road between Burnett Boulevard and Shipyard Boulevard, creating a four-lane highway divided by a median. The other project involves widening South Front Street from the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge to Burnett Boulevard.

Both projects are intended to streamline port-related traffic; 99% of all trucks that serve the Port of Wilmington use this route to enter the premises, Ayers told the board. 

The South Front Street widening was initially intended to be funded in 2021, but programming challenges at the N.C. Department of Transportation delayed the funding until 2029, WMPO director Mike Kozlosky told Ayers. “The Ports anticipate that something must be done sooner rather than later,” Kozlosky told the board, according to the meeting minutes. 

Because road improvements can’t be financed by the ports, ports personnel are reliant on transportation partners to advocate for these projects to obtain funding. ​

Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Untitleddesign4

Paving the Way to Better City Streets

Tony Caudle - City of Wilmington
Dave sweyer 300 x 300

Insights into the 2023 Leasing Market in Wilmington, NC: What You Need to Know

Dave Sweyer - Sweyer Property Management
Screenshot2022 01 06at338 162234623

Food is the Foundation for Prosperous Communities

Girard Newkirk - Genesis Block

Trending News

Conservation Group Signs $8M Deal To Buy The Point On Topsail Island

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

National Organization Bestows Top Award On Cape Fear Professional Women In Building

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

Engineering Firm Hires Four Employees

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

N.C. Ports Officials React To Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

NCino's Fourth-quarter Earnings Signal Rebound From Liquidity Crisis

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 27, 2024

In The Current Issue

Berries, A Battlefield And More In Pender

The N.C. Blueberry Festival, founded in 2003, is one of several events in Pender County that have drawn more attention over the years....


INFO JUNKIE: Jack Fleming

Jack Fleming, owner of Socialry Marketing & Scourz and emcee for 1 Million Cups Wilmington, shares his media and tech picks....


Expanding Tastes On Castle Street

As John Willse and Beth Guertin, owners of Wilmington Wine bottle shop and now the recently opened Creative Tastings restaurant on Castle St...

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments