Two 60-year-old bridges in Burke County now have a contractor and a timeline for improvements, the Morgantown News-Herald reports.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) says it has awarded an $8.55 million contract Asheville-based NHM Constructors for a pair of bridges on Interstate 40. The bridges, which cross over Berea Church Rd. in Connelly Springs, were built in 1956 (eastbound) and 1958 (westbound).
See the overall NDOTÂ State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) plan here.
The project can begin as early as Monday, July 31, NCDOT says. The work should be complete by Sept. 1, 2019, aside from planting, reforestation and permanent vegetation establishment.
The project to replace the bridges is part of a 10-year plan for Burke County.
Other NCDOT projects in the 10-year plan as reported by the News-Herald include:
- I-40 paving — Pave 23.8 miles of road from mile marker 95.2 to mile marker 119 at a cost of $23.5 million. Construction will start in 2018.
- Exit 100 (Jamestown Road) — Upgrade the interchange at a cost of $2.42 million, plus an additional $250,000 for preliminary engineering. Right-of-ways will be secured in 2018 and construction will start in 2020.
- Exit 107 (Drexel Road) — Upgrade the interchange at a cost of $16.1 million, plus another $400,000 that already has been spent on preliminary engineering. Right-of-ways will be secured in 2019 and construction will start in 2020.
- U.S. Highway 64/Burkemont Road — Improve the interchange at a cost of $1.41 million, plus another $250,000 that already has been spent to do preliminary engineering. Right-of-ways will be secured in 2019 and construction should start in 2021.
