
Traffic fills Oleander Drive at the intersection of South College Road in 2005.
We just looked up “gridlock” in the dictionary and found a picture of the intersection of College and Oleander roads at 5:15 in the afternoon.
OK, not really, but the fact is that traffic and transportation problems routinely rank near the top of people’s lists of the most serious issues facing the Cape Fear region.
Why is it so bad? Mostly, it’s a frustrating mix of fast growth and infrastructure that hasn’t kept up. Plus, we probably don’t need to tell you that every other person on the road is a lousy driver. Turn signals? Who needs ’em?
Anyway, although there are some roads you probably can’t avoid, at least you can be forewarned. First, you can check out the traffic page of StarNewsOnline.com, where you’ll find links to traffic cameras that let you scout ahead for problems, along with other helpful information.
Want to know even more detail? Below is a list of the area’s busiest roads. If you can, stay away from these during rush hour and the peak of tourist season, which generally runs from May through August.
Busiest roads (daily volume based on annual average daily traffic figures)
New Hanover County (2008)
108,887 — US 17/74/76/N.C. 133, west of U.S. 421
71,884 — Cape Fear Memorial Bridge
69,446 — South College Road, between Randall Parkway and University Drive
61,559 — U.S. 17/74/76 at the Leland/N.C. 133 Exit
56,463 — Carolina Beach Road, south of Piner Road
56,186 — South College Road, between College Acres Drive and New Centre Drive
55,691 — Carolina Beach Road, south of Sanders Road
54,983 — South College Road, between Hoggard Drive and University Drive
54,519 — South College Road, between Long Leaf Hills Drive and Parkway Drive
53,863 — South College Road, between MacMillan Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard
Brunswick County
67,895 – U.S. 17-74-76 near N.C. 133 (Leland interchange)
30,568 – U.S. 17 south of U.S. 17-74-76 split
22,000 – N.C. 211 north of Southport
23,461 – U.S. 74/76 west of U.S. 17-74-76 split
Pender County
22,000 – I-40 near Pender and New Hanover county line
22,000 – U.S. 17 north of Hampstead near Belvedere Plantation
18,000 – I-40 near Pender and Duplin county lines
16,000 – South of N.C. 210 near Surf City
8,300 – U.S. 17 near St. Helena
8,000 – N.C. 53 in Burgaw
Source: Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization; N.C. Department of Transportation
Date posted: January 29, 2009
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