NORTH CAROLINA, USA — Officials said that drivers can drive once again without closures through Pigeon River Gorge.
They said crews from the North Carolina Department of Transportation took down barricades and opened all the lanes of a new bridge on I-40 over Cold Springs Creek and Harmon Den Road Thursday night.
“Replacing any bridge on I-40 is quite a task and crews accomplished the goal in about seven months," said Nathan Turner, a Division 14 Resident Engineer. But that doesn’t mean all the work is complete.”
However, work will continue on the bridge. Officials said crews from Kiewit Infrastructure South will spend time replacing pipes under ramps and completing projects meant to accommodate wildlife in the area. They said some of the final construction will take nighttime lane closures and some daytime closures but will be completed in the coming weeks.
Officials said they will finish grading in the area, sculpting the area to best meet the needs of the project. They will also install fencing and place slotted cattle guards to complete a wildlife passage along the creek, under the bridge.
Officials said the bridge is the first in a series to replace five outdated bridges in Pigeon River Gorge, near the Tennessee state line.
The bridge was 56 years old before it was replaced as part of a $19 million contract that calls for all operations to be finished by May 2024. It includes12-foot-wide travel lanes with 10-foot outside shoulders and 2-foot inside shoulders.
Construction to replace a bridge over White Oak Road near mile marker 19 will start late in the summer, continuing through the fall, officials said.