NCDOT to close lanes on Cape Fear Memorial Bridge for repairs
RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Transportation plans to close lanes on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge in Wilmington, which carries U.S. 17 Business/76/421 across the Cape Fear River, for repairs beginning Tuesday, May 27.
The majority of lane closures will take place through Friday, Aug. 15; however, additional closures will be necessary for several weeks in the fall. All work is scheduled to be complete by Oct. 31. Specific dates and times of closures will be announced as finalized.
According to the project contract, lane closures are permitted Monday through Thursday as follows:
• One of two lanes closed daily in each direction, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 7 to 10 p.m.
• All lanes closed Monday through Thursday nights, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next morning.
All lanes will remain open to traffic from 6 to 9 a.m. each morning, and from 3 to 7 p.m. each afternoon, to accommodate rush hour traffic.
Lane closures could also be scheduled Friday through Sunday as follows:
• All lanes closed 10 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Saturday.
• All lanes closed 10 p.m. Saturday until 11 a.m. Sunday.
• All lanes closed 10 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday.
All lanes will remain open at all other times during the weekend to accommodate beach traffic.
Signed detours will be in place during total lane closures, and motorists will be directed down U.S. 421, Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway (U.S. 74) and College Road (N.C. 132) as alternate routes.
NCDOT will also be working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard to coordinate the passage of boat traffic under the bridge, as vertical clearance will be reduced.
The $2.3 million contract for the repairs was awarded to the Lanford Brothers Company Inc. of Roanoke, Va. Work entails making repairs to the roadway beams that carry the bridge deck. The need for the repairs was found during a recent bridge inspection, and work will not pose a hazard to motorists.
Every bridge in North Carolina is inspected at least every two years in accordance with the National Federal Standard for Bridge Inspection.
The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge was built in 1969 and carries an average of more than 60,000 vehicles per day. It has a sufficiency rating of 49. The sufficiency rating formula is a method of evaluating factors that indicate a bridge’s sufficiency to remain in service. It helps determine which bridges may need repair or replacement, but it does not necessarily indicate a bridge’s ability to handle traffic loads.
Definite lane closure schedules will be announced on a weekly basis as work plans are finalized.
(Editor’s Note: Division Engineer Allen Pope, State Bridge Management Engineer Dan Holderman and N.C. Board of Transportation member Lanny Wilson will be available to meet with the media and answer questions regarding the repairs on Friday, May 16, at 2 p.m., at the NCDOT Highway Division 3 Office, 124 Division Drive, Wilmington. To receive weekly updates, provide your e-mail address to NCDOT at Friday’s media availability, or call the Division Office at (910) 251-5724.)
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