A drone’s view of the unfinished N.C. 42 bridge. Photo: NCDOT.The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) hired a company in March 2018 to dismantle the old N.C. 42 bridge over the Deep River at Carbonton and open the new bridge by November 2018, The News & Observer reports. After a year and a half, the bridge still isn’t complete.
Flooding from Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Michael was to blame for some of the delay, but in May, NCDOT spokesman Aaron Moody told the news agency that it became clear the original contractor wasn’t going to meet even the extended deadline. So, another contractor, Smith-Rowe, was hired to take over the job the week of September 9, with work now expected to be wrap up by the end of 2019.
“It’s one of those bridges that goes through the middle of a community and has created heartache for people getting where they need to go,” Moody told the news agency, saying he understands the importance of the bridge. “We’re going to be just as happy as they are to get it back open again.”
The new N.C. 42 bridge will be slightly longer and higher than the 1961 bridge, with railings nearly a foot taller than the old ones. The bridge will also be 8 feet wider, with two traffic lanes and 4-foot-wide shoulders on both sides.
Moody told the news agency that the original $2 million contract to replace the bridge will stay the same. Insurance will cover any extra cost that comes from hiring the new contractor.
