NCDOT Chooses New Plan for Castle Bridge…Separate new bridge in the works now

ASHEVILLE, NC (March 22, 2018)…The N.C. Department of Transportation is taking a different route to provide drivers a path over Lake Rhodhiss in the coming months and for decades to come.

As a result of multiple meetings and hearing the concerns of citizens, community business owners and leaders, it was evident that the community wanted an option that would be less impactful to traffic.  Therefore, NCDOT officials have decided to make temporary repairs to Castle Bridge and begin planning for a new bridge beside it to connect Burke County and Caldwell County.

Instead of replacing steel beams and the concrete deck, a contractor will repair the beams so the bridge may remain in service for three to five more years while engineers plan, design, secure funding, environmental permits and right of way necessary for an additional bridge.

Engineers have begun drafting contract details for the repair process which should start this fall. The goal of making temporary repairs is to keep the existing bridge open as much as possible during the process.

The repairs should take four to six months to complete and may require short-term bridge closures of two-to-five days and lane closures for longer durations.

General plans, decisions and details regarding the time schedule, funding and design of the new bridge will be determined in the coming months.