Construction of the Hampstead Bypass in North Carolina is set to begin in the coming weeks according to officials from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Following environmental evaluations and design reviews, the project was originally approved in 2014, and it is projected to enhance traffic flow into Pender and New Hanover counties. Conti Civil LLC of Edison, New Jersey, was granted a US$185 million contract to build the four-lane, seven-mile roadway on Wednesday. The bypass will travel south of N.C. 210 and link to US Highway 17 north of Topsail schools. The northern section of the two-part project is set to open in the fall of 2026.
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Construction on the first 5.6-mile leg of the Hampstead Bypass will begin on February 28, but workmen have already begun removing grass and trees, as well as applying grading, drainage, and asphalt. Traffic signals and retaining walls will also be erected. Following that, upgrades to an existing 1.5-mile route will take place, beginning on Aug. 27 with the route between Brickyard Road and Holiday Drive. Concurrently, work on the Hoover Road interchange will begin. On weekdays, all lanes will stay available during peak commute periods of 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Contractors will begin work on the North Carolina 210 intersection in February 2023. U.S. 17 will be improved beginning in August 2023.
More on the Hampstead Bypass in North Carolina
“This is a significant milestone and represents a significant improvement in how people will travel in southern North Carolina, particularly between Wilmington and Hampstead.” This bypass will also make a significant impact on the congestion that US 17 is now facing in this rapidly increasing region, according to NCDOT Division 3 engineer Chad Kimes in a news release. The Hampstead Bypass, which will be 12.6 miles long when finished, has been in the works for the previous 16 years and is scheduled to open in 2030. The highway will begin at a proposed junction with US Highway 17 Wilmington Bypass and continue northwest to Pender County, past Sidbury Road.
