"If we don't [do] this, with the wave action, the shoreline is going to be out here on Bay Street," Alderman Frank Lai told his colleagues during a vote on the shoreline project, as the State Port Pilot reported. Bay Street is now closed to traffic for a different reason. On-site work on the Southport Shorefront Improvements Project was scheduled to start October 1. With construction underway, the city has closed Bay Street to traffic from October 9 through October 30.
Earlier plans called for construction to start in early summer 2026. When aldermen awarded the contract, City Engineer Bob Jarvis said on-site work would begin around October 1 "in accordance with environmental permit restrictions." With that start date, the heavy equipment will be on the waterfront from fall into early spring. The summer crowds will be gone, but the town's own Fall Market, WinterFest and Bay Street craft market will be right there beside it. For the next six months, the waterfront is a shared space, and how the contract was written decides how much room the town keeps.
What Goes Into the Water
The work runs along West and East Bay Streets between South Caswell Avenue and South Atlantic Avenue. Jarvis told the board it includes offshore breakwaters, beach nourishment, dune restoration, native plantings and rock revetments. Earlier design descriptions in the State Port Pilot placed one breakwater in front of the pilot's tower on Bay Street. The same plans said the first phase would mainly reinforce Bay Street and the bulkhead at Waterfront Park.
The reason for it shows up along East Bay Street. As WECT reported in 2021, Hurricane Isaias tore up the sidewalk and even the road in front of Fort Johnston in the summer of 2020. Mayor Joe Pat Hatem described the shoreline as taking "the constant pounding." The State Port Pilot named three causes of the erosion: storm waves, boat and ship traffic, and rising water levels. It added that those pressures are expected to grow as larger commercial ships use the deepened Wilmington Harbor channel more often.
The money comes from a $5 million State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund grant, with no local match. Four bids came in, ranging from about $3.3 million to $4.3 million. Civil Works Contracting, LLC won with the lowest responsive bid of $3,294,674.47, which closely matched the engineer's estimate of $3.3 million. Because the bids came in under the budget, staff recommended building the alternate segments as well as the base project.
A Work Zone With One Day of Material
When the board discussed the contract, Jeremy Packard of the engineering firm Foth told aldermen that most materials would be stored off-site. Only a small staging area would sit in the parking lot beside Oliver's restaurant and along the harbor walk by the park, and the contractor could bring in only a day's worth of material at a time.
The contract also includes these protections:
- Continuous vibration monitoring during construction
- Inspections before and after construction to record existing conditions and confirm any damage
- A requirement that the contractor repair or replace any city infrastructure it damages
- A one-year warranty from the contractor
- Liquidated damages of $500 per day if work runs past the contract completion date
Keeping only one day of material on site is what leaves room for a market, restaurant patios and a holiday craft fair on the same blocks. The city still warns that you should expect construction traffic, heavy equipment, noise, temporary parking restrictions and limited public access in some areas.
Two Calendars, One Shoreline
The work moves west to east in three overlapping segments, and the city says weather and field conditions could shift the dates. Here are the construction dates alongside the town's own calendar:
| Date | Construction | Waterfront and downtown calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 1, 2026 | Segment 1, western area, scheduled to begin | |
| Oct. 9 to Oct. 30 | Bay Street closed to traffic | Fall Market at Waterfront Park, Oct. 14, 21 and 28 |
| Nov. 4 and 11 | Segment 1 continues | Final two Fall Markets |
| Dec. 4 to Dec. 12 | Segment 1 continues | WinterFest 2026 |
| Dec. 8 | Winterfest-ival of Trees, Franklin Square Park | |
| Dec. 12 | Winter Craft Market on Bay Street | |
| Dec. 16 | Segment 2, central area, begins | |
| Feb. 8, 2027 | Segment 1 scheduled to finish | |
| Feb. 12, 2027 | Segment 3, eastern area, begins | |
| March 1, 2027 | Segment 2 scheduled to finish | |
| March 23, 2027 | Segment 3 scheduled to finish | |
| March 31, 2027 | Overall completion expected |
On the current schedule, every waterfront event in the town's fall and holiday season happens while only the western segment is underway. The central segment doesn't start until four days after the Winter Craft Market.
October: The Street Is Closed, the Market Is Open
The first three Fall Markets fall inside the Bay Street closure. The City of Southport runs the market on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Waterfront Park, with dates on October 14, 21 and 28, then November 4 and 11. Its stated purpose is to connect local growers and crafters with shoppers, offering locally grown products, prepared foods and handmade goods. Vendors on the event listing include Alpaca Bella Fina, Ames/Wood Artistry, Annie Marge Designs and Art by Guy LLC, though the listing doesn't say who will be there on a given Wednesday. The current market listings still place it at Waterfront Park.
The written closure notices don't name the detour streets. The city posted a detour map instead, and it's worth checking before you drive to the park. The notices close the street to traffic. They don't close the businesses along it.
Where the Yacht Basin Stands
These are the hours the waterfront restaurants list on their own sites:
- Oliver's on the Cape Fear, 101 West Bay Street near Waterfront Park: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
- Provision Company, 130 Yacht Basin Drive: open daily from 11 a.m. for lunch and dinner, according to a site update dated September 22, 2026.
- American Fish Company, 150 Yacht Basin Drive: 2 to 9 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 10 p.m. on weekends, with live music.
- Frying Pan: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday. The restaurant notes that fall hours may vary.
None of these pages mentions closing for the construction. Hours change with the season, so a quick check before you go is a good idea. Oliver's has the most direct connection to the project, since the lot beside it is one of the two staging areas named in the council record.
December Is the Tightest Squeeze
Downtown Southport, Inc. lists WinterFest 2026 for December 4 through 12. The city's WinterFest page describes twenty events under the WinterFest umbrella this year, from a Winterfest Tea to the Southport Christmas Flotilla. The city is adding its first Winterfest-ival of Trees at Franklin Square Park on Tuesday, December 8, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Winter Craft Market sets up on Bay Street itself on Saturday, December 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
That's Bay Street hosting a craft market while the western segment is still active, four days before work spreads to the central stretch. The city's WinterFest page still lists the craft market on Bay Street and the trees at Franklin Square. The flotilla also marks the end of the season for at least one Yacht Basin stop. Frying Pan says it generally runs from early spring to late fall, often closing around the time of the Southport Christmas Flotilla.
February and March: The East End's Turn
The eastern segment, scheduled for February 12 to March 23, 2027, takes the work toward South Atlantic Avenue. That's the stretch of East Bay Street where Isaias did its damage in 2020. The Fort Johnston–Southport Museum and Visitors Center sits at 203 East Bay Street. Its city listing doesn't give hours, so call 910-457-7927 before a winter visit. The city's October newsletter does list an October 24 event on the Garrison Lawn, months before the eastern segment begins.
Two familiar places sit away from the shoreline work. The NC Maritime Museum at Southport is at 204 E. Moore Street, open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission. The Southport–Fort Fisher ferry takes about 35 minutes to cross the Cape Fear River. Its fall weekday schedule runs September 8 through December 31, with the first departure from Southport at 5:30 a.m. and the last at 6:15 p.m. On weekends, which follow a year-round schedule, departures from Southport run from 7 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. NCDOT warns that weather or mechanical problems can change the schedule.
The city expects the whole project to be finished by March 31, 2027. If work runs past the contract completion date, liquidated damages of $500 a day apply, and Civil Works Contracting provides a one-year warranty on the work. On that schedule, the new shoreline would be in place before next summer's season starts on Bay Street.
If you have questions about a home near the Southport waterfront, or about how this winter's shoreline work affects a property you're watching, the agents at Tatum Real Estate follow Brunswick County projects closely and are glad to talk it through. Talk to a Local Agent Today.
