Highway Plans Planning is currently underway for transportation improvements that would serve the NC International Terminal. Further analysis is required to determine the exact location of a connector to link the port terminal and the consolidated (BHI and Southport/Ft. Fisher) ferry landing to the larger public transportation system, and a dedicated four-lane limited access transportation corridor to link the connector to the interstate highway system.
--Brunswick County Comprehensive Transportation Plan
In preparing cost estimates for the proposed North Carolina International Terminal, CH2M Hill, Inc., consultants to the NC State Ports Authority, assign one-half of the land side container traffic to trucks, and one-half to rail. They contemplate that 3,000,000 TEU annually would involve 1,800,000 containers, taking into account the predominate use of 40-foot containers (2 TEU). The consultants propose operations 16 hours a day, 5½ days a week. The truck movements would be: Average daily traffic Peak daily traffic 4,407 trucks per day 5,730 trucks per day 275 trucks per hour 441 trucks per hour
At peak traffic, the average interval of truck movements would be eight seconds. These figures assume symmetrical traffic, that is, as many containers depart as arrive. Thus the truck movements would increase if any trucks arrive or depart empty. And if less than half the containers are handled by rail, truck traffic would increase correspondingly.
NoPort Southport, Inc.
October 2008
This does not include traffic for construction. The container terminal would be built in stages, so that construction traffic would be nearly continuous to completion in 2027. The consultants to the State Ports Authority recognize that traffic on Brunswick County roads is currently heavy, and that the ability to improve existing roads for the planned truck traffic is limited. For purposes of cost estimates, the consultants considered a new highway, to connect NC87 (south of the intersection with the Sunny Point access road) and US17 near Bolivia. They estimate the cost of highway improvements to be $181,500,000, which would be for the account of the taxpayers.
Map prepared by CH2M Hill, Inc., for the NC State Ports Authority showing highway alternatives.
NoPort Southport, Inc.
2
October 2008
The proposed road (yellow line) would not reach the State Ports Authority site. The map prepared by the consultants shows various routes from the site to the proposed road, all of which connect to the site at the south, at East Moore Street, and run through the streets of the City of Southport. Any other route would require crossing the Progress Energy property and the cooling water canals for the nuclear reactors.
At the other end, the proposed road would deliver all of the truck traffic onto US17. The consultants consider US 17 to be adequate to handle onward traffic to interstate highways. The consultants have not advised how trucks would be confined to the new road, which involves a longer route to out-of county destinations than the existing roads, NC 87, NC211, and NC133. The consultants have not discussed the need for or extent of supporting facilities for the trucks.
NoPort Southport, Inc.
3
October 2008
The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently released a revised draft "Brunswick County Comprehensive Transportation Plan" showing planned highway improvements. Although there is a note that planning is underway for the proposed container terminal, the map included with the plan shows the location of the terminal, and two related highway improvements, both to accommodate truck traffic from a terminal entrance on East Moore Street along with traffic from the Fort Fisher and Bald Head Island ferries: 1. a connector between East Moore Street and Leonard Street over the present gravel road just south of Harbor Oaks, Yaupon Avenue extension, and 2. a connector between Leonard Street and NC87/River Road, just north of Price's Creek.
NoPort Southport, Inc.
4
October 2008
NC DOT plans do not show any further connection to the interstate highway system, but do include a bypass of Boiling Spring Lakes for NC87, and widening of that route to four lanes. Thus all traffic from the container terminal would go past the Smithville Township Park and the campus for the South Brunswick High School and Middle School. In September 2008, the North Carolina Department of Transportation decided to use $250,000 in contingency funds to conduct a study of a possible new highway to serve the container terminal. The NCDOT estimated that the study would take two years.
Plans for Highway Improvements in Boiling Spring Lakes Area Brunswick County Comprehensive Transportation Plan Revised June 12, 2008
NoPort Southport, Inc.
5
October 2008