By Mark Hairr, PTMP
The Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority (dba Wave Transit), in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO), provided much needed relief to southeast North Carolina with expanded microtransit service and Transportation Demand Strategies (TDM) during the recent temporary closure of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge for a preservation project.
This bridge is a primary transportation corridor between the City of Wilmington and adjacent Brunswick County with an average daily vehicle count of more than 65,000 vehicles going back and forth, and its temporary closure created major concerns in the community regarding commuting, traffic congestion and economic impacts.
This special initiative included connecting north Brunswick County with downtown Wilmington with additional hours and capacity of microtransit service while also conducting a significant TDM publicity campaign. This initiative was an important element in an overall set of mitigation strategies employed by NCDOT that included use of a centralized operations center, real-time traffic messaging, adjustments to traffic flow and signals, and constant updates and commuting tips using various media outlets with a special emphasis on social media.
During the time period special microtransit service and TDM initiatives were deployed, microtransit ridership increased significantly by 65% when compared to the previous year. Due to the various partners and elements of this initiative, it would have not been possible with only one lead agency. Therefore, the three major organizations involved (Wave, NCDOT, WMPO) worked in a truly collaborative way to develop and execute a project that resulted in great success.
Mark Hairr, PTMP, is an Executive Director for Wave Transit. Mark can be reached at mhairr@wavetransit.com.