Title
Resolution Authorizing the City of Wilmington’s Application for the U.S. Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program Grant for the Replacement of the 4th Street Bridge and the Pine Grove Drive Bridge to be Matched with Local Funds
Body
LEGISLATIVE INTENT/PURPOSE:
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) / Federal Highway Administration’s (“FHWA”) Bridge Investment Program (“BIP”) is part of a larger suite of discretionary federal funding authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which aims to significantly improve and/or rebuild America’s infrastructure across all fifty states and U.S. territories; and,
WHEREAS, the funding programs offered by the DOT and its agencies are historic in terms of the large size of the awards, with the BIP offering up to $100 million per award, with a 20% local match required by the City, which will be covered by available City funds that currently exist in the projects; and,
WHEREAS, applicants for BIP funding will be evaluated by the FHWA in terms of how each proposed project addresses issues such as climate change, resiliency, equity, safety, and accessibility, among other concerns; and,
WHEREAS, BIP grants fund the replacement, rehabilitation, preservation, and protection of bridges that are registered on the FHWA’s National Bridge Inventory (“NBI”), and are designated as being in either poor condition, or in fair condition now but will fall into poor condition within three years; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Wilmington has identified the 4th Street Bridge and the Pine Grove Bridge as eligible for BIP funding, as they are both currently rated in fair condition but will fall into poor condition within three years; and,
WHEREAS, the 4th Street Bridge is a three span bridge that was built in 1950 with a design loading rate of 25 tons, and since 2016, the load bearing capacity of the bridge has been steadily restricted and is now at 10 tons, so the bridge can no longer accommodate buses and emergency response vehicles; and,
WHEREAS, the replacement of the 4th Street Bridge was marked as a high priority item in the City’s Bridge Asset Management Plan, and is to be replaced with a new three span bridge; and,
WHEREAS, in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (“NCDOT”), the replacement of the 4th Street Bridge is being coordinated with the potential future extension of passenger rail, which will pass under 4th Street Bridge and will develop alongside the first phase of the City’s Downtown Trail project; and,
WHEREAS, the identified project area within the City is a historically disadvantaged community and an area of persistent poverty, and the improvement would contribute to providing greater economic vitality to the neighborhood, with enhanced multimodal access for residents who do not have cars and primarily use transit or walk; and,
WHEREAS, the Pine Grove Bridge was built in 1976, and is currently an approximately 60 linear foot cored slab bridge over Hewlett’s Creek, where high traffic volumes and deterioration of the substructure has degraded the bridge over time, and it is anticipated that continued deterioration will result in future load restrictions; and,
WHEREAS, maintaining a high level of service on this primary north-south corridor for the City, the towns of Carolina Beach and Kure Beach, and the southern portion of unincorporated New Hanover County is essential to provide emergency services access for nearby fire station and EMS facilities, in addition to connectivity to medical, commercial, and residential areas along the Pine Grove Drive corridor and beyond, so replacement of the Pine Grove Bridge as also a high priority item, as is reflected in the Bridge Asset Management Plan; and,
WHEREAS, the new structure that will replace the current Pine Grove Drive bridge will be an approximately 600 linear foot bridge spanning the coastal wetlands, with an increased load capacity, allowing for the removal of the existing causeway, and consequently providing an environmental benefit through the natural restoration of coastal wetlands; and,
WHEREAS, the longer and higher bridge will also improve the vertical clearance from the water surface to the low chord of the bridge, which will address concerns about future sea level rise, in addition to improving access to the navigable channel under the bridge, in addition to a ten foot wide multi-use path on the bridge to facilitate future connection of the Greenville Loop Trail to the Masonboro Loop Trail; and,
WHEREAS, the replacement of both bridges is vital to the emergency preparedness and economic vitality of not only Wilmington, but the greater Wilmington metropolitan area.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:
THAT, the City Council hereby authorizes and fully supports the City’s application to the DOT / FHWA’s Bridge Investment Program for the 4th Street Bridge and Pine Grove Bridge replacement projects, and the City Manager has full authority to do what is necessary to prepare and submit the grant application.
THAT, the City of Wilmington will provide the 20% local match funds, which will be covered by available City funds that currently exist in the projects.