WAYNESVILLE – N.C. Department of Transportation officials recently awarded a contract to replace aging twin bridges on U.S. 23/74 and the U.S. 23/74 West bridge over U.S. 19.
The neighboring projects were combined into one contract, awarded to Zachry Construction Company of San Antonio for $42.5 million. The contract allows for construction to begin as soon as Jan. 29 and calls for completion by April 2028.
Local NCDOT officials have devised a traffic management plan that will retain two lanes of traffic in both directions on U.S. 23/74 with limited overnight exceptions to replace the eastbound and westbound bridges over Richland Creek. The traffic management plan for the bridge over U.S. 19 includes a one-month closure during the middle of construction.
The new bridges over Richland Creek will carry two lanes of traffic and be raised several feet to reduce the possibility of flooding. Construction plans call for building a temporary bridge and using it to carry one direction of traffic while the 58-year-old bridges are replaced.
NCDOT engineers redesigned the bridges from original plans to reduce costs from the original estimate of $60 million in order to ensure funding to replace bridges on I-40 in Haywood County.
“These new bridges will enhance the resiliency of our infrastructure,” Division 14 Engineer Wanda Payne said. “The plans improve safety and reduce overall construction time. We are excited to begin these projects to aid transportation needs in our area.”