North Carolina Department of Transportation Chief Operating Officer Jim Trogdon announced today that 20 contracts totaling $159 million have been awarded for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina, including one project funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. NCDOT awarded the contracts to the lowest bidders, as required by state law.
The recovery project is located in Wake County. The other projects are located in Brunswick, Catawba, Chatham, Dare, Davidson, Davie, Franklin, Forsyth, Gates, Hertford, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, New Hanover, Northampton, Pender, Randolph, Richmond, Rowan, Stokes, Vance and Warren counties.
The bids received on all 20 projects advertised came in 6.7 percent, or about $11.4 million, below NCDOT estimates.
In Catawba County, a $419,007 contract was awarded to Apple Tuck & Associates Inc. of Rutherfordton to replace the bridge over Pinch Gut Creek on St. James Church Road (State Road 1880) near Maiden with a concrete box culvert. Work can begin on March 15 and be completed by Dec. 31.
The bridge was built in 1960 and deemed both functionally obsolete and structurally deficient. This means its layout no longer meets current design standards for width, shoulders or rails. This does not mean the bridge is unsafe, but there are elements of the bridge that need to be monitored to maintain its structural integrity.
An off-site detour route has been set up. Traffic heading north will take Jack Whitener Road (S.R. 1882) to Prison Camp Road (S.R. 1883) back to St. James Church Road. Southbound traffic will reverse directions.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, every $1 million spent on transportation creates 30 jobs, and according to the construction industry, every dollar invested in transportation generates $6 in economic impact.
For more information about funding for infrastructure improvements in North Carolina, as well as other NCDOT projects and activities, visit www.ncdot.gov.
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