PINETOPS – People who use N.C. 111/N.C. 122 in Edgecombe County now have access to a new bridge over Town Creek.
The bridge opened Thursday north of Pinetops after Sanford Contractors finished constructing it. The road closed in July 2021 when the bridge replacement project began under a prior contractor, National Bridge Builders LLC of Kernersville.
Last year, the N.C. Department of Transportation was forced to terminate its contract with National Bridge Builders when the company abandoned the job, removing its crews and equipment from the work site. The department exhausted all efforts to try to keep the company and original contract on schedule.
The NCDOT was required to secure a replacement contractor – at no additional cost to the department – to finish the job and open the bridge. The state agency requires bonding companies in its contracts to protect the taxpayers in the rare event of a breach of contract.