Highway 53 E in Pender County reopens after flooding

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — After several days of being closed due to flooding from Tropical Storm Debby, Highway 53 East in Pender County reopened on Friday.

The NCDOT removing road closed signs on Friday after engineers declared it safe to travel on.  

The roadway provides a vital link between Burgaw and eastern Pender County.  

With the Northeast Cape Fear River cresting for the last several days, flooding persisted long after Debby made its way north. Pender County Maintenance Engineer Jeff Garrett says even after water recedes, roads still have to be checked for safety. 

“We try to do a quick assessment of the roadway,” Garrett said. “We look for asphalt damage, we look for washouts, and we also look for debris in the roadway like logs or vegetative debris that’s piled up, and we try to clear all of that out of the way so it’s safe for the public.”   

Gor nearby residents, hearing the road will reopen is a big relief. 

“I think everybody’s going to be happy because they’ve been taking back roads, so I think today would be a great day because the main road’s open,” one Burgaw resident said. 

“I am ecstatic it’s going to be opening up at noon. I did not know it was going to open at noon. Now I can stop having through all these back roads and whatnot. Because even using the backroads, there’s flooding,” another resident said. 

“I work as a lineman out here, and I had to go all the way into Chinquapin and take 50 into Maple Hill,” another resident added. 

Portions of Highway 210 are still closed as the NCDOT does inspections. A spokesperson told WWAY it should reopen by Monday.