HAVELOCK – A Craven County highway is back open to traffic after contractors installed the first bridge girders as part of a new overpass.
Overnight, contractors hung two steel girders over the U.S. 70 Westbound lanes for the overpass into Slocum Gate in Havelock. For the girders to be secure, two of them had to be set on the first night of installation.
Due to the design of the bridge and the size of the girders, the contractor experienced an issue that ultimately made the work more time consuming. Crews originally anticipated being finished by 5 a.m. but did not clear the lane closures until 8 a.m. Wednesday. For safety reasons, the lane closures could not be removed until the girders were secured. As part of the project contract, the contractor may be fined.
There will be no more lane closures on this portion of U.S. 70 until Tuesday, May 28, when crews are expected to set another girder over the westbound lanes of the highway. From 8 that night until 5 a.m. on May 29, and then again 8 p.m. May 30 until 5 a.m. May 31, the left lane of U.S. 70 East will be closed starting near the intersection of Hickman Hill Road, and the left lane of U.S. 70 West will be closed starting at the Walmart intersection, west of Catawba Road. A shift will be required for the open westbound lane.
The contractor may stop all traffic as a safety precaution during the closures, but for no more than 30 minutes at a time.Access to Slocum Road and Slocum Gate will not be allowed while the closures are in place.
The gate will close at 8 p.m. and reopen at its normal time the following morning.These dates are weather permitting. Since only one girder is being set, the lane closures are expected to be cleared on schedule.
Motorists should anticipate needing extra time and slow down when approaching and within the work zone.
This work is part of the $24.4 million project to improve the U.S. 70 corridor, including Slocum Gate.
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