ELIZABETHTOWN – The plan to reduce the U.S. 701 bridge over the Cape Fear River to one lane has been rescheduled to June 2.
The temporary lane reduction, which will require flagging operations on the two-lane bridge, is necessary for workers to detach the river gauge from the old bridge and re-install it onto the new bridge. The gauge is used by state and federal agencies to monitor the river level.
This lane reduction had been set for May 31, but has been rescheduled to Friday when crews will be available. The closure will be from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Drivers should expect delays in each travel direction to be about 15 minutes, and drivers should be cautious traveling through the work zone.
An N.C. Department of Transportation contractor is constructing the new bridge alongside the old one. Traffic was recently shifted from the old bridge to the new one, so that the old structure can be demolished.
When completed next spring, the new bridge will have four lanes.