Delayed completion of Wilmington (N.C.) bridge may mean penalty for contractor

road-work-ahead-Better-RoadsThe North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) says that, after being closed for more than a year for construction, Wilmington’s North 3rd Street bridge is now complete, with just a bit of landscaping yet to be finished, according to the StarNews Online.

Work was originally scheduled to be completed April 1 to accommodate the North Carolina Azalea Festival, but bad weather caused delays for construction crews.

Although a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the reopening of the bridge in May 2016, work continued under the bridge for a few months, NCDOT spokesman Brian Rick said. â€śThe completion of the project was delayed due to the need to coordinate with N.C. Rail Road to perform curb and gutter and pavement work beneath the bridge, with no impact to motorists,” he told the news agency. “The construction work is finished. The only outstanding item is the establishment of permanent vegetation.”

The new bridge includes four travel lanes and a separate center turn lane. It also has additional space for bicyclists and features extra-wide sidewalks. The original bridge was built in 1920 and was reconstructed in 1955.

The $4.64 million project contract went to Carolina Bridge Co., and Rick told the news agency that the NCDOT is still deciding whether “to impose liquidated damages on the contractor” because of the delay in completion. â€śWe are looking at final acceptance for the project” in the spring of 2017, he said.