Work on the Bonner Bridge Continues…
Posted in The Scoop | By Dawn |
As I was taking my biweekly trip to the metropolis of Nags Head this morning, I was again stopped on the Bonner Bridge by construction crews as I have been for the past couple of months. Since March there has been one lane traffic on about a half mile stretch of the bridge as they are obviously conducting much needed work on the Oregon Inlet Bridge. I wondered if this would continue throughout the season so I did a little digging and found some very interesting and informative updates on the North Carolina Department of Transportation web site. Apparently, a recent assessment of the bridge was recently posted on May 3, 2008. They are quoted as saying:
“The bridge, in its current state, is safe for use by the traveling public and does not require any
weight limit posting. Its “poor” rating is an indication of the bridge’s short remaining life span.”
There is a lot of interesting information on the site detailing problem areas and even displaying pictures depicting these problems. For anyone who is interested I would suggest checking out the report. The “bridge issue” has been a much debated issue in the forefront of Hatteras news for some time now. An in depth version of the report can be found at the following link:
http://www.ncdot.org/doh/operations/dp_chief_eng/maintenance/bridge/bonner/bonner.html
As far as whether or not the traffic stops will continue throughout the season the following contract synopsis implies that it will. In a nutshell, although work just began in March, the projected completion date is not until late 2010. I guess the bridge construction trucks will become as normal a sight as the dredges underneath the bridge and the bulldozers on the side of HWY 12 north of Rodanthe used to constantly push sand off the highway. We are in a perpetual race with Mother Nature on Hatteras Island.
The contract info already copied below can be found at the following link:
https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/traffictravel/progloc/ProgLocSearch.aspx
| Contract Number: | C201804 | Route: | NC-12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Division: | 1 | County: | Dare |
| Administrative Division: | 1 | TIP Number: | B-5014 |
| Length: | 0 miles | Federal Aid Number: | BRNHS-0012(35) |
| Resident Engineer: | Randy W. Midgett, PE | RE Phone Number: | (252)331-4860 |
| Location Description: | HERBERT C BONNER BRIDGE AT THE OREGON INLET ON NC-12. | ||
| Type of Work: | REPAIR EXISTING PILE CAPS, COLUMNS, CAPS, GIRDERS, & DECKS. | ||
| Contractor Name: | COASTAL GUNITE CONST. CO. | ||
| Contract Amount: | $14,676,325.00 | Cost Overrun/Underrun: | 0% |
| Availability Date: | 3/31/2008 | Letting Date: | 1/15/2008 |
| Completion Date: | 11/19/2010 | Work Began: | 3/31/2008 |
| Revised Completion Date: | Estimated Completion: | 11/19/2010 | |
| Last Estimate Thru: | 4/30/2008 | Scheduled Progress: | 4% |
| Last Estimate Paid: | 5/6/2008 | Actual Progress: | 3.27% |
