HILLSBOROUGH – Work begins next week on the project to replace the U.S. 70 Bypass bridge over the Eno River on the east side of Hillsborough.
The N.C. Department of Transportation recently awarded a $4.8 million contract to Conti Enterprises of Edison, N.J. to replace the 78-year-old structure, which has reached the end of its useful life.
The contractor will begin constructing a temporary, two-lane detour bridge adjacent to the existing structure at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 8. Traffic will be shifted onto the temporary bridge once it is complete several months from now, and demolition and replacement of the permanent bridge will follow.
The new bridge, designed to last 75 years, is scheduled to open by July 2021.
It will feature 54-inch-tall concrete and metal railing that will be safer for bicycle traffic than the substandard concrete rails on the current structure, which are about half that height. It will also be 27 feet longer for a total of 265 feet that will accommodate a future greenway that could one day pass under the bridge.
Drivers should pay attention and obey the posted speed limit throughout the work zone.