The Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization presented its newly adopted 25-year Metropolitan Transportation Plan, "Cape Fear Navigating Change 2050," to the New Hanover County Board. Abby Lorenzo, deputy director of the WMPO, said the plan was adopted by the WMPO board "just yesterday" and will guide regional transportation decisions through 2050.

Lorenzo said the WMPO serves a population of "over 300,000 residents across approximately 500 square miles" and is governed by a 13-member board of 12 elected officials and one appointed member. She described the MTP as a federally required, multimodal plan with at least a 20-year horizon; the WMPO's plan looks ahead 25 years and was developed over three years with technical analysis, committee guidance and public outreach.

The WMPO used two advisory groups during development: a Metropolitan Transportation Plan Technical Steering Committee (MTPC) and a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC). Outreach included six public meetings, 16 community events, nine stakeholder interviews and 13 presentations; the WMPO reported more than 2,300 survey responses, over 3,200 map comments and nearly 6,000 map pins. Lorenzo said the public prioritized safety, cost, convenience and travel time, and expressed interest in more walking, biking and transit options.

The plan establishes five guiding goalssafe, fair, connected, resilient and proactiveand translates them into mode-specific objectives that informed project ranking criteria. Every project was evaluated against those criteria; roadway projects that scored highly and fit within the WMPO's financial forecast were identified as fiscally constrained recommendations.

Lorenzo explained that the financial forecast projects available federal, state and local transportation funding through 2050 and shows a significant shortfall relative to identified needs. To help address that gap, the WMPO board reviewed alternative funding sources such as a quarter-cent sales tax, vehicle registration fees and transportation bonds. She said an WMPO subcommittee on alternative funding will explore realistic options and that the MTP lays a foundation for those conversations.

Commissioners asked why certain local projects, including Gordon Road and Castlehane Road, did not appear on the new list of fiscally constrained roadway projects. WMPO staff explained that Gordon Road is already under construction and funded through the State Transportation Improvement Program process, while Castlehane Road had been carried over from earlier planning efforts and must pass the strategic prioritization process to be included in funded programming.

Lorenzo noted that the final MTP includes recommendations submitted by New Hanover County and will be used to inform project submittals to MPO and state programming processes and to guide project scoping and design decisions. The final plan and appendices are available on the WMPO website and in hard copy at WMPO offices and member-jurisdiction planning offices and libraries. Lorenzo said WMPO will begin work on the 2055 MTP in 2028.

"The final plan reflects the collective priorities of our region, a shared vision grounded in public input, data, and fiscal responsibility," Lorenzo said. "It positions us well for future funding opportunities and supports our continued growth in a coordinated and strategic manner."