ASHEVILLE — A pair of bridges on Interstate 40 in Burke County have
served millions of drivers. It’s time for a new pair of bridges to serve
millions more.
The N.C. Department of Transportation recently awarded a $12.4
million contract to Dane Construction Inc., of Mooresville to replace the
bridges on I-40 that cross Mineral Springs Road in Burke County. Approximately
49,000 vehicles travel that stretch of I-40 per day, according to a traffic
count in 2016.
The bridges, built in 1958, no longer meet the current design
standards for the volume of traffic. The new bridges will meet current design
standards for lane widths and shoulder width and accomodate expected future
capacity needs.
Work may begin as early as July 30 on these bridges. The contract
calls for work to be completed by March 30, 2021. Construction will be conducted
at night as necessary to limit backups and adversely impact traffic.
This was one of 25 road and bridge contracts recently awarded by
the N.C. Department of Transportation. Per state law they went to the lowest
qualified bidder for each project. The contracts are worth nearly $630
million.