Sep 14, 2007 - Finding a safe, efficient way to move cars and heavy truck traffic from the east edge of Southport to N.C. 87 and points north was the most-mentioned need among residents who addressed the city’s traffic committee Tuesday night.
“The first step is to identify all the problems,” said Christa Greene, engineer with Greene Traffic Solutions (GTS). Greene said she planned to work “step-by-step” with the city’s traffic committee to develop potential solutions, estimate costs and identify potential funding sources.
Greene, working under a contract with the city, said she has been charged initially with focusing on the N.C. 211/Howe Street corridor and a possible eastern connector road in the vicinity of Yaupon Drive Extension. That could change, based on input from Tuesday’s public hearing, she told a crowd of about 30 people at Southport City Hall.
Several speakers called for returning the speed limit in the downtown area to 20 mph, as it was several years ago before being changed by state transportation officials.
Others mentioned speeders along Leonard Street, drainage off Moore Street, the dangers of angle-in parking spaces and what they called deficiencies with the timing of traffic signals.
But the dominant concern voiced at the meeting was truck traffic to Archer Daniels Midland, the state ferry terminal and the Bald Head contractors’ terminal along Howe and East Moore streets. Traffic in that area is predicted to become considerably greater when Bald Head Island moves all ferry operations to Deep Point, the current site of the contractors’ ferry landing. By Lee Hinant