A staff report
NCDOT contributed the photos above.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has issued a traffic alert for the final girders installation phase on the U.S. 701 bridge over the Cape Fear River in Elizabethtown, NC. Andrew Barksdale, Public Relations Officer at NCDOT, announced that on Thursday, February 15th, commuters should expect significant delays and traffic pattern changes as crews work to set the final girders for the new bridge.
The construction activities will necessitate a reduction in lanes, with the two-lane bridge transitioning to a one-lane pattern allowing traffic from one direction at a time to cross. However, to facilitate the safe installation of the girders, law enforcement will intermittently halt all traffic for up to 15 minutes at a time. These stoppages will occur three times throughout the day as the girders are off-loaded onto the bridge and lifted into place by crane.
Motorists are advised to plan accordingly and expect delays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thursday. The specific timing of the stoppages may vary within this timeframe. The NCDOT contractor previously employed this process in August, and Thursday’s operations mark the final phase of girder installation for the new bridge.
Despite the anticipated disruptions, the completion of this milestone brings with it the promise of improved infrastructure and enhanced safety for commuters utilizing the U.S. 701 bridge connecting Elizabethtown and White Lake, NC. Following Thursday’s activities, residents and travelers can look forward to smoother traffic flow and reduced construction-related delays on this vital transportation route.
For additional information and updates on the U.S. 701 bridge construction project, please visit the NCDOT website at https://drivenc.gov/?type=incident&id=689681.
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