Bike and pedestrian efforts are underway in Kure Beach. Here's the latest on 4 projects.

Every year, visitors from all over come to enjoy all that Pleasure Island has to offer and during the summer months Kure Beach is bustling with people.

Though the year-round population of the town is just over 2,000 residents, an influx of tourists can be found riding their bikes or walking to local destinations, some of the most popular being the Kure Beach Fishing Pier, the Ocean Front Park and Pavilion, the Carolina Beach Island Greenway and Joe Eakes Park.

If you take a drive down Dow Road, which is the road that bypasses Carolina Beach on the way to Kure, you are bound to see a bicyclist heading to or from Carolina Beach State Park or heading down Fort Fisher Boulevard toward the Fort Fisher Historic Site.

In May 2022, the town council adopted a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan that was funded by the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to help provide safer connections for residents and visitors to all that the town has to offer.

The WMPO found that although there were low traffic volumes and speeds, conditions could be improved to ensure safer public ways for walking and bicycling as nearly every street in town can be used for those purposes, according to the plan.

Here’s a look at the status of the planned projects.

New crosswalks

So far, the town has been able to add four Flashing Beacon Crosswalks on U.S. 421 near public beach accesses. They are located at Ocean View Restaurant, M Avenue near the post office, Blakeslee Air Force Recreation Area and Surfrider Court near Ocean Dunes condominium complex.

According to Mayor Allen Oliver, the town also has three more in the planning stages that will be located at E, I and K avenues.

Island Greenway extension

The North Carolina Department of Transportation funded a Greenway Feasibility Study that is currently underway, according to Oliver. It will identify the most feasible route for the Island Greenway extension to the Fort Fisher Ferry Landing.

Oliver acknowledged that the town heard a lot of feedback surrounding the original recommendation that would run 1,200 feet from the end of the existing Island Greenway in Carolina Beach and would connect to Settlers Lane in Kure Beach. According to the 2022 draft plan, residents along Settlers Lane expressed concerns about safety and privacy issues if the path were to be located behind their homes.

The study will allow for the cooperation with the Department of Defense at Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, which owns the property to the west of the originally recommended route to see what the best option would be.

Fort Fisher Boulevard and K Avenue intersection

In 2021, the WMPO received funding from the Coronavirus Response and Recovery Supplemental Appropriations Act for four transportation projects in the region. According to the plan, approximately $360,000 was funded to improve the Fort Fisher Boulevard and K Avenue intersection, which will include crosswalks and sidewalk improvements.

The intersection is the town’s busiest area as the pier and commercial district with shops and restaurants surround the area. An engineering firm is currently developing construction plans, according to Oliver.

The boardwalk

Plans for a boardwalk widening are still uncertain, according to Oliver, but the town has hired a structural engineer to evaluate the entire boardwalk from the pier to N Avenue.

According to a 2022 StarNews article, when news got around that the boardwalk could be changed, hundreds of Kure Beach residents and visitors signed a petition named “Save Kure Beach’s Boardwalk,” to advocate for keeping the original wooden boardwalk the way it is.

Oliver said that the boardwalk, which was originally installed in 2009 has been facing ongoing maintenance issues with the wooden boards rotting out, causing the town to have to get them replaced. He also said that proper drainage has been another concern. With the current boardwalk, Oliver said that repairs can get costly.

But, according to Oliver, the town has not made a plan for the boardwalk yet and is reviewing the report from the engineer.