The evolution of the South Queen Street Bridge has the beginnings of a new addition. Light fixtures are in the works for both sets of bridges. The larger section of the bridge over the Neuse River will have six light poles, and the smaller section over land will have four.

“The Planning Department is glad to see the bridge lights being installed. Our department has worked closely with Public Services and NCDOT to see this project through to fruition,” said Kinston’s City Planner Adam Short. “Although it might seem like a relatively small item for our community, we view these incremental improvements as critical to the development of our community and continuing to create a quality sense of place in Kinston, especially in downtown.”

Adding the lights to the bridge will bring the six-year project to fruition after DOT approached the city of Kinston to schedule a resurfacing of Queen Street. The city used that opportunity to replace the water and sewer lines on Queen Street as well as incorporate new landscaping.

“We continue to strive to improve the entry point of our community and adding these lights on downtown's front doorstep is a valuable addition to the Queen Street entryway corridor,” said Short.

The original plan was to wait until the South Queen Street landscaping was complete before the lights went up on the bridge, but due to NCDOT budget constraints, the completion of the landscaping has been put on hold. Having no certain timetable for the landscaping project, the city decided to move forward with adding the light poles to the bridge.

“We're just very glad to be at this point that we can install the lights. We've had a lot of folks ask us about them who are eager to see them,” said Public Services Director Rhonda Barwick. “We're excited to have them and we're happy to have them in time for the holidays to allow visitors to enjoy the completed queen street project.”

The improvements made on Queen Street are designed to be more pedestrian-friendly, designed to entice and retain traffic, with the hopes of spurring economic activity along the vacant properties on Queen Street.

“What it means to me is more of our forward movement and reinvestment of our community. I can’t wait to see them lit up,” said Director of Pride of Kinston, Leon Steele.

In July, the city council agreed to the design and the items were ordered by the end of the month.

“We have a few items we are repairing and replacing, but the project itself is wrapped up and we don’t have anything additional planned at the moment,” said Short.