ST. PAULS – Drivers on Interstate 95 in Robeson County will encounter overnight detours next week to allow an N.C. Department of Transportation contractor to replace the riding surface of several bridges.
The Arizona-based prime contractor, The Truesdell Corp., will do the work first on the pair of I-95 bridges, both north and southbound, at exit 31 in St. Pauls. Crews already have milled away the top layer of old concrete, so now they will refurbish the deck with polymer concrete – a newer material that pours and dries faster than previous types of concrete.
For the safety of the crews and the public and to expedite the work, weather permitting they will start with a lane closure at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 11, followed by a detour off the interstate at 9 p.m. so they can spread the new concrete surface. Then, the following night they’ll follow the same procedure for the southbound bridge at the same location.
The detour for exit 31 in both directions is simple: Drivers will get off at the ramp, cross the highway and re-enter the interstate.
Once finished at exit 31, the contractor will work on a pair of bridges just to the south of that exit and a pair of bridges to the north of it, again detouring traffic off one bridge per night. For those bridges which don’t have exits the detours will be spread farther apart along the interstate. Detour details and dates will be announced at DriveNC.gov and on the highway’s electric overhead message signs.
Weather permitting, the crews can complete the work requiring detours on all six bridges by the week of March 18. When they later perform follow-up work on those bridges, there will be no detours – just lane closures overnight. They will not do any work or close the interstate on Friday or Saturday nights.