WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- A pair of new bridges are on their way across the Cape Fear River.
Construction of one of the final legs of the Wilmington Bypass will begin soon with twin spans over the river between New Hanover and Brunswick counties.
A $125 million contract is in the works for the construction of the bridges. The parallel, two-lane bridges will link I-140 in New Hanover County to Cedar Hill Road in Brunswick County.
Andres Herndez has lived in Leland for 10 years and works at Invista off US 421 in New Hanover County. He says when the bypass opens, his commute to and from work will be cut in half.
"When they open the new route, the new road, it's going to be nice," Herndez said. "Three minutes from my house."
Commuters we spoke with say traffic in the area has always been a problem, so they are very excited for the completion of the Wilmington Bypass.
"It would be great, because it will be short time, shorter time to get to where all the truck drivers need to go, especially the traffic. It wouldn't be as much traffic going on on the road," commuter Edwin Maldonado said.
Maldonado says he makes the drive from Fayetteville twice a week, and this new route would save him time.
"Saving time will be a lot easier to get home earlier, and get back to the job," he said.
The bridges will be built high enough for boats to pass underneath.
Construction on the bridges is scheduled to begin in november. They are scheduled to be done in fall 2017.
Once this, and some more work is done, traffic will be able to bypass Wilmington completely.
