The N.C. Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to replace a 61-year-old bridge on Grassy Creek Virgilina Road over Aaron’s Creek, near Virgilina. The $870,000 project was awarded Fred Smith Company in Raleigh.
This project is part of NCDOT’s program to rehabilitate and replace bridges across the state. The 2015 budget signed by Governor McCrory is funding the replacement of approximately 540 bridges across the state.
Work can begin as early as Oct. 15 and be completed by March 1, 2017.
The current bridge has weight restrictions that limit the type of vehicles than can use it, which won’t be the case when the new bridge opens.
There will be a detour during the project, utilizing Smart Road, N.C. 96, and Amis Chapel Road.
This was one of 16 road and bridge projects recently awarded by the N.C. Department of Transportation. They came in at about $96 million, which was $3 million under DOT engineers’ estimates. The contracts were awarded to the lowest qualified bidders, as required by state law.
Bridge replacement projects like this are currently underway across the state as part of the Governor’s 25-Year Transportation Vision to enhance travel safety and to better connect North Carolinians to jobs, education, healthcare and recreation opportunities.
For real-time travel information, call 511, visit the Traveler Services section of NCDOT.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.