Plans unveiled in June to improve roadway conditions for bicyclists in Wrightsville Beach hit a bump in the road, with town officials criticizing the plan’s feasibility.
Members of the parks and recreation advisory committee made specific comments about the proposal, which was compiled by the Louis Berger Group Inc., saying they are wary of adding 10 feet of pavement to the west side of North Lumina since it will eliminate some landscaped property.
Other committee officials expressed some irritation regarding what they say is discrepant cost estimates.
During the plan’s unveiling at a public open house on June 30, Alison Carpenter, transportation planner and bicycle and pedestrian specialist for the Berger Group, said one design option, which builds off preexisting structures, would cost an estimated $310,000.
The other plan, which recommends laying bridges over Kenan’s Creek and Banks Channel, was estimated at $2.5 million.
But officials argued that those estimates were drastically too low.
A renewed cost analysis provided to the parks and recreation advisory committee on Monday, Aug. 3, reported an estimated increase for both plans: more than $842,000 for the preexisting structure option and more than $3.2 million for the bridge option
"There are a lot of issues here," said Greg Files, one of the officials who first contended the original cost estimates.
Files argued that Wrightsville Beach isn’t large enough to accommodate extra bike paths, and its effect on parking and safety could be harmful to the community.
Instead, he suggested the town install sharrows on existing roads to lead cyclists on and off the island.
A sharrow is a pavement marker that alerts motorists that cyclists are using the road and gives cyclists an idea of where to position themselves.
"Mark it off and be done with it," he said. "If we have it marked in the lane, and they (cyclists) are not riding in the lanes, then hopefully the police department will do something about it."
Town manager Bob Simpson said the Berger Group has failed consistently to provide the town with information that encompasses the plan’s entire impact, specifically its effect on property owners and the local economy.
"There’s another aspect to the plan and that’s the impact on the community as far as the economy and the individual property owners," he said. "I’m supportive of what they’re trying to do but there’s more to it."
On Tuesday, Carpenter sought to quell the controversy by emphasizing that the property on North Lumina Avenue is state-owned right-of-way, and that the designs being presented to the town are what engineers call 30 percent design studies, meaning the town has the opportunity to determine which elements to build based on funding and public support.
Disputes regarding the bicycle plans erupted during a discussion that centered around applying for a federal TIGER Grant (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) to cover the cost of the proposal.
The grant, if approved, would be used by the city of Wilmington, New Hanover County and the University of North Carolina Wilmington to complete and improve various projects throughout the county, including the River to Sea bike route, said Joshuah Mello, associate transportation planner for the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization.
If the town chooses to be part of that grant, a portion of the funding would go toward improving bicycle roadway conditions on Wrightsville Beach as part of the River to Sea route, Mello said.
The grant application deadline is mid-September, and town officials stress they haven’t been given sufficient time to study the Berger Group’s plans.
The parks and recreation advisory committee will meet on Friday, Aug. 7 at 9 a.m. in Town Hall council chamber to discuss whether to make a recommendation to the board of aldermen, who may consider the plan options and hold a public hearing, Simpson said.
