Shallotte Aldermen Trying To
Speed Up Overpass Construction
BY DOUG RUTTER
Shallottc officials are concerned
that delays in building an overpass
on the U.S. 17 bypass arc not only
threatening the safety of motorists
but also stunting the town's com
mercial growth.
With that in mind. Mayor Sarah
Tripp and four town board members
iiavcied to Raieigh last week to
meet with state transportation offi
cials in hopes of expediting a project
not scheduled for completion until
1W7.
Construction of the overpass at
the N.C. 130 intersection isn't ex
pected to begin until late in the IW
federal fiscal year, according to the
state's latest draft Transportation
Improvement Plan.
Town officials hope last Thurs
day's meeting with Garland Garrett,
deputy secretary for highways with
the N.C. Department of Transpor
tation. will speed up the project.
"It s a had situation out there that
they keep delaying it for whatever
reason." Alderman Carson Durham
said Friday. "Every time they delay
it. it has a substantial adverse effect
on Shallottc."
Town officials asked the state to
shorten the 18-month period set
aside for acquiring right of way and
start construction ahead of schedule.
Durham said.
Shallottc leaders also asked the
state to proceed with the relocation
of Bridgers Road and voiced con
cern about plans to close the
Southeastern Welcome Center en
trance on U.S. 17, leaving only one
entrance and exit off N.C. 1 30.
"It was well worth the trip," Dur
ham said of the three-hour ride to
Raleigh. "We at least were heard and
"It's a bad situation out there that they keep
delaying it for whatever reason. Every time
they delay it, it has a substantial adverse
effect on Shallotte. "?Carson Durham
Mr Garrett will answer us. They
were very cordial."
Shallotte officials and residents
started pushing for an overpass on
the three-ycar-oid bypass following
an accident in November 1991 that
claimcd the life of a local business
man and a West Brunswick High
School student.
State transportation officials an
nounced plans for the overpass in
May 1992. They cited the intersec
tion's accident history and its prox
imity to downtown Shallotte and the
high school as the main reasons it is
needed.
"If that overpass is so critical then
it ought to be done. That's what I
don't understand." Durham said last
week.
NCDOT officials initially said
construction of the overpass would
begin in early 1994 and take 18
months to complete. Now, the pro
ject is about two years behind sched
ule.
"It's been slipping on us," said
Durham, who said he was told last
summer that construction would be
gin this October. "We just don't un
derstand the delays, the continued
delays."
Durham said the delays have been
costly to the town. Investors in a
motel that was planned near the in
tersection have backed out.
Construction of a shopping center
and two fast-food restaurants near
the bypass also have been post
poned.
"They're hurting ihc aica w fai aa
the tax base, the capital reserve fees
and the user fees," Durham said of
? a.. kir?r\/Vf?
IIIC 11V LAJ 1 .
Durham said new commercial de
velopment is needed to help pay for
a planned expansion of Shallotte's
wastewater treatment plant. Officials
have tentatively agreed to expand
the treatment capacity by 200,000
gallons per day at a cost of Sl.l mil
lion.
While in Raleigh last week, town
board members met with state envi
ronmental management officials to
discuss funding of the expansion.
Street Lee. project manager with
McKim & Creed Engineers of
Wilmington, also attended the meet
ing.
Shallotte officials hope the town
receives a low-interest loan from the
State Revolving Fund to pay for the
expansion.
"It looks like we stand an excel
lent chance if we keep our paper
work going. McKim and Creed's
done an excellent job," Durham
said. "They wouldn't have called
and told us to come up there if it
didn't look good. In their words,
they expect us to get."
Durham said the loan would not
be available in time to allow con
struction to start next January as
town officials had hoped. Instead,
the expansion project would have to
be pushed back about six months.
Bock On Its Feet
A pickup truck is turned upright following an accident late Tuesday morning at the intersection of
Main Street and Pine Street in downtown ShaUotte. The truck turned over on Us left side after being
struck in the rear by another vehicle that h -as attempting to turn from Pine onto Main. Nobody was se
riously injured. At right are Deputy Keith Home of the Brunswick County Sheriff's Department and
Officer Jimmy Sublett of the ShaUotte Police Department. "It looked a lot worse than it actually was,"
SuNett said.
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