The N.C. Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to replace seven bridges in Johnston County and one in Wayne County.
The $7.6 million express design-build contract was awarded to the T.A. Loving Company of Goldsboro. Work can begin as early as January 3, 2017, with completion scheduled for no later than June 1, 2020.
“These bridge projects are part of the department’s overall program to improve the condition of the state’s bridges,” Board of Transportation Division Four member Gus Tulloss said. Johnston and Wayne counties are part of NCDOT Division Four.
The repair or replacement of aging bridges is an integral part of Governor McCrory’s 25-Year Vision for Transportation in North Carolina. The program has helped improve bridge safety by increasing repair and replacement funding by 58 percent, up $242 million in 2016-2017.
The following bridges will be replaced in Johnston County:
- Reedy Prong Church Road over Mill Creek in Newton Grove;
- Winston Road over White Oak Creek in Clayton;
- Old Route 22 over Little Buffalo Creek in Kenly;
- Bay Valley Road over Little Buffalo Creek in Kenly;
- Old Dam Road over the Little River in Kenly;
- Barber Mill Road over Swift Creek near Clayton; and,
- Eatmon Road over Cattail Creek near Archer Lodge.
The Herring Road bridge over the Yellow Swamp in Wayne County will be replaced.
The bridges, which were built between 1950 and 1972, are structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. They are safe, but their deteriorating condition required constant repairs. They were also constructed to design standards that are no longer in use and have weight limits that restrict the type of vehicles that can use them.
All of the bridges will be closed while they are replaced. Signed detour routes will be in place directing traffic around the closures. Dates for the individual bridge closures will be released once they are determined.
This contract is part of the department’s Express Design-Build Bridge Replacement Program. The design-build method allows the design, environmental permitting, utility relocation and construction to take place under one contract, which reduces overall construction time, helps the department avoid cost inflation, lessens environmental impact and alleviates driving delays for motorists. Express design-build is more efficient for less complex projects because it does not require a technical proposal.
The contract was one of 12 road and bridge projects recently awarded by the N.C. Department of Transportation. They came in at $177.9 million, which was nearly $5.6 million under state engineers’ estimates. The contracts were awarded to the lowest qualified bidders, as required by state law.
