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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

Leland Drivers Request Live Traffic Updates For Causeway Construction

Isabelle Shepherd
Officials from the North Carolina Department of Transportation listen to complaints and suggestions from Leland drivers.

Due to causeway construction, Leland drivers often don't know what they'll encounter on their commute. Will it be an hour of traffic or smooth sailing? Citizens have taken traffic reporting into their own hands.

Before heading out to work, Leland residents would like a traffic update.  That was one of the public suggestions made to the North Carolina Department of Transportation at their meeting to discuss causeway traffic issues.  As it stands, the NC DOT has a website for such updates, but it only offers still shots, with no live feed. 

James Zepeda, a senior project inspector with SEPI Engineering & Construction, says he’s noticed increased phone usage as he drives through the project:

"I’ve gotten behind people driving 40mph and there’s nothing in front of them. So I pull around to see what’s wrong, and they’re on the telephone. What scares me even worse—and it really scares me, and I thought it was crazy—they started a Facebook page, and they’re encouraging people to take pictures and video. So now we’ve got 2700 photographers that are taking pictures instead of driving. "

Some residents say the Facebook group, Leland NC Traffic Reports, is helpful because it is their only source of up-to-date traffic reports.  However, others say it makes the road even more dangerous.