Onslow County Begins Work on $6.3M Bear Creek Fire Station

Onslow County has broken ground on a new $6.3 million Bear Creek Fire Station in the Hubert area, marking a significant expansion of fire and emergency coverage for one of coastal North Carolina’s fastest growing communities.

New Station Anchors Fire Coverage in Hubert Area

Publicly available information shows that Onslow County leaders participated in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Bear Creek Fire Station on July 14, 2026, at 138 Old Sand Ridge Road in Hubert. The 14,440 square foot facility is planned beside Sand Ridge Elementary School, positioning the station close to residential neighborhoods and key community infrastructure.

County notices indicate that Waters Contracting Company has been awarded a $6.3 million construction contract for the project. The new station will serve the Bear Creek fire district and surrounding portions of Hubert, an unincorporated community in eastern Onslow County that has seen steady residential development in recent years.

Planning documents from state and county sources describe the Bear Creek Fire Station as part of a broader system of county-operated stations that support both rural communities and rapidly growing corridors near the Crystal Coast. The new facility is expected to enhance response capabilities in an area that is currently served by older fire infrastructure and volunteer departments.

According to published coverage and local facility inventories, the county’s existing Bear Creek station dates to the 1970s and has a smaller footprint. The new Hubert location is described as a replacement designed to meet contemporary service standards, accommodate modern apparatus, and provide upgraded living and training space for personnel.

Design Focused on Capacity, Safety and Modern Operations

Project specifications circulated through procurement and construction documents outline a multi-bay station intended to house fire engines, support vehicles, and specialized equipment. The 14,440 square foot design is significantly larger than the current Bear Creek facility, allowing for expanded staffing and the potential addition of future units as call volumes increase.

State-level descriptions of the project note that the new station is being developed with dedicated decontamination areas, gear storage, and improved separation between apparatus bays and living quarters. These elements reflect current best practices in firefighter health and safety, including efforts to reduce long-term exposure to contaminants from fire scenes.

The Bear Creek Fire Station is also expected to incorporate training and meeting space, providing a hub for both county fire rescue operations and coordination with neighboring volunteer departments. Its proximity to Sand Ridge Elementary School underscores a dual role in community outreach and emergency planning for local families and educators.

Funding approvals reviewed at the state treasury level reference the Bear Creek project alongside other county facility upgrades, indicating a coordinated approach to modernizing public safety infrastructure. The station’s scale and technical features position it as a key asset within the county’s broader emergency services network.

Responding to Growth and Rising Call Volumes

Public fire service planning presentations for Onslow County show that stations serving the Bear Creek and Freedom Way areas already handle a substantial share of countywide dispatches. Recent fire service master plan data list hundreds of annual calls for the combined service area, reflecting both population growth and increased demand for medical and rescue responses.

Hubert and nearby Bear Creek sit along important commuter and military access routes between Jacksonville, Camp Lejeune and the coastal communities of Swansboro and North Topsail Beach. The mix of suburban neighborhoods, schools and rural properties has created a complex service environment where travel times and overlapping coverage zones are central planning concerns.

By relocating and expanding the Bear Creek Fire Station to Old Sand Ridge Road, county planners aim to place equipment and personnel closer to developing neighborhoods and major roads. Travel models used in fire station planning generally show that relocating facilities even a short distance can improve response times for large portions of a district, especially in semi-rural communities with limited alternative routes.

Residential market data for the Hubert area highlight a steady rise in home values and new construction, suggesting continued growth in population and structures requiring fire protection. As more homes, small businesses and public facilities are built in the district, the need for a modern, strategically located station becomes more pressing for both everyday incidents and larger-scale emergencies.

Part of a Wider Modernization of Onslow County Fire Facilities

According to county facility inventories, Onslow County has undertaken a series of upgrades to its public safety buildings over the past decade, ranging from an emergency operations center in Jacksonville to newer fire facilities at sites such as Freedom Way in Hubert. The Bear Creek Fire Station is noted in state records as one of the legacy stations now being replaced or expanded.

Documentation from the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer indicates that the Bear Creek project was included in a financing package that also supports other county facility improvements. That structure reflects a common approach among North Carolina counties, in which multiple capital projects are bundled to secure long-term, low-cost financing for essential infrastructure.

The new Bear Creek facility will join a network of county and municipal stations that work in tandem with volunteer departments across Onslow County. Public planning materials reference a multi-station system stretching from inland communities such as Richlands and Half Moon to coastal areas including Sneads Ferry and Swansboro, illustrating the geographic breadth of the county’s fire protection responsibilities.

With the groundbreaking now complete, county updates indicate that construction will proceed in phases, beginning with site work and foundational elements before the structure itself rises along Old Sand Ridge Road. Once complete, the Hubert-area station is expected to play a prominent role in the county’s long-term strategy for managing growth, enhancing resilience and maintaining reliable emergency response across a diverse coastal landscape.