Wilson County Bridge Will Receive Maintenance

WILSON – A bridge over U.S. 301 east of Wilson will undergo extensive preservation work to extend its service life and make the riding surface smoother.

The $1.7 million project will be performed on the 70-year-old N.C. 42 (Herring Avenue East) bridge that carries almost 9,000 vehicles a day over U.S. 301.

Wilmington-based Saffo Contractors Inc. has been hired recently by the N.C. Department of Transportation to replace the expansion joints on the driving deck and repair and strengthen the riding surface with a concrete overlay after the existing asphalt surface is removed. Crews also will perform maintenance on the steel girders, the curtain wall below the deck and the roadway pavement connecting to the bridge.

NCDOT will be meeting with the contractor soon to establish the project timeline.

The work will require periodic lane closures on N.C. 42 and U.S. 301 around the bridge. Additionally, there will be a four-month period when the N.C. 42 bridge will be closed in both directions.

The project is expected to be completed by the fall.