Articles

Cape Fear Memorial Bridge repairs begin; lane closures expected through Thursday

By Patrick Gannon
Staff Writer

Published: Monday, June 2, 2008 at 8:42 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, June 2, 2008 at 10:21 p.m.

Wilmington-bound traffic on U.S. 17/74/76 slowed Monday afternoon as repair work closed the right lane of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.

Staff Photo | Mike Spencer

Traffic slows as lanes on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge merge into one in each direction Monday. The lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will continue through Thursday. Work crews are building a work platform that will hang from the bridge so repairs can be made.

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The eastbound right lane was closed parts of Monday, and vehicles slowed for a half-mile to a mile from the bridge, causing a few minutes of delay for motorists coming to the Port City.

Closures are expected on either side of the Memorial Bridge from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Thursday. Future closings are expected to be announced later this week.

David Candela, assistant resident engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation, said work would progress somewhat slowly this week as the contractor - Virginia-based Lanford Brothers Co. Inc. - gets up to speed.

"They're getting things going," he said. "They're getting traffic control worked out."

Three electronic message boards are in place around the region to alert motorists about the bridge work, Candela said. One of them, near the northernmost Leland exit on U.S. 17/74/76, reads: "Memorial Bridge work. Right lane closed."

Last month, inspectors found worrisome cracks in hundreds of connector plates that hold together the steel beams that support the bridge. The DOT strengthened eight of the connectors as a quick-fix patch to allow the bridge to remain open while crews spend most of the summer replacing all 616 connectors.

The DOT signed an emergency $2.3 million contract with Lanford Brothers Co. to make the repairs.

Crews will use this week's lane closures to build a work platform, which will hang below the bridge's deck and run the span's entire 405-foot length. The platform will reduce the vertical clearance under the bridge for ships. Workers hung signs Monday to alert ship captains of the changes.

Once the platform is in place, contractors don't anticipate many lane closures until later this summer.

Last week, Lanford Brothers officials said they didn't expect to have to close the bridge completely at night, as the DOT first indicated, but that remains an option if necessary.

Patrick Gannon: 343-2328

patrick.gannon@starnewsonline.com