THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 21, 1996 TAG: 9603210374
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KITTY HAWK LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
Both spans of the Wright Memorial Bridge to the Outer Banks will be open by May 17, officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation said Wednesday.
Since early October, the 30-year-old two-lane eastbound span has been closed for repairs. Motorists have been diverted to two-way traffic on the new span, which opened last spring. But all four lanes will be ready in time to receive summer tourist traffic.
``It's been real confusing for people trying to use just that one bridge this winter. It was a bad situation in the beginning. But, hopefully, we'll get out of it real soon,'' said Randy Midgett, assistant resident engineer for the transportation department.
``We're in real good shape to meet that May deadline. Then, we can remove all the barrels and orange dividers. And we'll be able to re-stripe both bridges.''
Repair and refurbishing work on the old bridge is about half finished. Work beneath the span, however, is only about one-third done. The final cost probably will run about $400,000 over the estimated $1.3 million contract, Midgett said.
``The amount of repairs we've had to do underneath the old bridge is ending up more than we'd expected,'' Midgett said. ``It'll probably take until about Nov. 1 to finish all the work underneath that span. But they're starting to replace the joint seals on the bridge deck this week. And that's the last work they have to do on top. Then, the contractor will have to move some barges beneath the bridge and continue working on it from below. But he can do that even after it's open for traffic.''
Repairs on the old bridge included removing a 45-foot-wide steel section from its center and replacing it with concrete. That should smooth out motorists' rides while driving over the highest point of the old span. About aO dozen workers from Coastal Gunite of Cambridge, Md., also filled potholes on the bridge's surface, sealed joints between sections of the span and fixed cracked and chipped concrete .
After Labor Day, transportation officials may again shut down the old span so the contractor can finish everything by November.
Midgett promised, however, that once the old bridge re-opens for traffic in mid-May, it won't be closed to traffic again at least until the summer tourist season is over.
``It's not a lot of structural repairs they're doing. Mostly cosmetic, really. That old bridge was actually in pretty good shape,'' said Midgett.
``I can't say it'll ride much differently after it's done. But the work will help keep water from dripping onto the pilings and eroding it from above. The work we're doing now should help that span last at least another 20 years.''
In other North Carolina Department of Transportation news:
Crews are re-routing traffic near the juncture of Southern Shores and Kitty Hawk where U.S. Route 158 intersects with State Route 12. To improve traffic flow to and from the Outer Banks, workers are eliminated one of the two traffic lights on the road south onto U.S. 158 from Duck. The $630,000 project will include an increased storage capacity lane northbound into Duck between Route 158 and Route 12 and will be completed by May 17.
One lane of Route 12 in Duck has been shut down just south of Sanderling so workers can replace a drainage pipe beneath the two-lane highway and install a 12-inch water main in the northern area of Dare County. ``That new waterline has nothing to do with water on the Currituck side of the county line,'' Dare County Water Supervisor Bob Oreskovich said Wednesday. ``We just needed to add a 12-inch line along the existing eight-inch line to help with fire protection flow and loop the main line over.'' That project will be completed by early next week - and both lanes of Route 12 will re-open. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
DREW C. WILSON
The Virginian-Pilot
The old Wright Memorial Bridge span will reopen in time for summer
traffic, transportation officials are promising.
by CNB