The Leland causeway construction likely won’t end until November of 2016. But some traffic easement may come by next summer.
Since construction began on the causeway, Leland residents who work in Wilmington have faced unpredictable commute times. But the North Carolina Department of Transportation is hoping to relieve some of the evening traffic by next summer. Jackson Provost, Division Construction Engineer, says the Alligator Bridge has been an issue for years, with a three-lane ramp condensing into a two-lane bridge. Provost says a lane will be added to the bridge, which will ease southbound traffic:
"There is a ramp going south. Everyone calls it the Battleship ramp. Basically, you will have three lanes going south all the way to the Brunswick River. Instead of the Alligator River where it’s bottlenecked now. You will have three lanes, free flowing, and no merge. We’re hoping that will be better."
The change should help commuters get home a little quicker. However, it will not lessen northbound traffic during morning peak hours, which has been the most troublesome time period for drivers, particularly since the school year began. Provost says the Department of Transportation is still looking into ways to improve the AM peak, particularly the merge onto the 133 ramp.