GRANITE FALLS, NC (May 18, 2017)…Plans to replace the bridge on Falls Avenue over Old Mill Pond remain on schedule.
Pre-construction work continues…
The bridge has been closed since N.C. Department of Transportation engineers deemed it unsafe on Oct. 4, 2016. Plans remain in place — pending the ability to pave before winter sets in — to have residents and visitors driving on the bridge by early next year.
A short section of the closed bridge fell in Old Mill Pond on May 17. Plans to replace the bridge call for the demolition of the 75-year-old existing wooden structure in June.
“We have every reason to believe that the bridge will be completed by the end of the contract,” Division 11 Engineer Mike Pettyjohn said. “On projects as extensive as this, it is critical to develop a plan that optimizes the design and construction skills of many people.
“An immense amount of work needs to be completed before demolition begins.”
A typical express-design project such as this takes up to 18 months to be designed, have right-of-way purchased, utility lines moved, and equipment mobilized. Most of that work has been completed in the three months since the contract was awarded.
“We want to keep moving quickly and get this new bridge built,” Pettyjohn said. “This is the highest priority bridge replacement project in our division.”