In February, Andrew Barksdale with the North Carolina Department of Transportation confirmed the rumors that the US Highway 701 bridge over the Cape Fear River in Elizabethtown may be replaced. On Thursday, April 9th, Eddie Madden, Town of Elizabethtown Manager, announced his office received confirmation by NCDOT officials that the decision to replace the Cape Fear River Bridge is imminent.
Madden suggested an announcement could come as early as next week about the bridge replacement.
The bridge has been under inspection and maintenance since Hurricane Florence hit Bladen County in 2018.
Barksdale confirmed the current bridge in use is safe for traffic. He said, “Safety for the traveling public is paramount.”
Barksdale explained the replacement plan, “We reviewed all of our options and determined it would be better to replace the bridge, rather than simply repair it. We are hoping to receive federal approval soon to replace these 2 bridges (one is southbound, and the other is northbound) with a four-lane bridge.”
He added, “As soon as we get the Federal Highway Administration’s approval, we will move quickly to design it and to award a construction contract. We don’t yet have a timeline for construction or cost. We hope to get federal funding to help us replace this bridge.”
The bridge was closed due to past hurricane flooding issues, as previously reported.
“Assuming we can proceed with our plan, we would maintain two-way traffic on 701 throughout construction. We would build part of the new bridge, shift traffic onto it, then build the rest of the new bridge,” Barksdale added.
In closing, he said, “A four-lane bridge has several advantages over having 2 bridges side by side, as we have now, including it’s less expensive, less potential for debris building, less maintenance costs and can reduce the potential for future scour – flooding of soil around the bridge bents or columns.”
https://bladencounty.org/ncdot-considers-replacing-the-us-highway-701-bridge-over-the-cape-fear-river/
About Author
