NORTH WILKESBORO, NC (March 20, 2018)…N.C. Department of Transportation officials closed a two-lane bridge on Abington Road in Lenoir as a safety precaution.
The bridge is located just below West Lenoir Baptist Church.
NCDOT crews established a marked detour around the closure utilizing Fairview Drive Northwest, Harper Avenue North West, U.S. 64 and Beecher Anderson Road.
An inspection on Tuesday revealed irregular flexing in the beams, which weakened the overall integrity of the bridge. All 18,000 NCDOT bridges are inspected at least every other year. This bridge had been on a list to be replaced in the next two years.
The bridge was built in 1972. It has wood supporting steel beams, a steel floor and an asphalt top. An average of 4,600 cars traveled that road as of the last count in 2015.
Transportation officials remind drives to slow down in work zones and obey all posted traffic signs.
