Officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation will close two or more lanes of the Wrightsville Beach drawbridge for a long-term bridge rehabilitation project beginning Monday, Oct. 1.
The scope of the project calls for bridge closings from Oct. 1 through mid-March 2013.
The first overnight closure will take place 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, through 5 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, according to DOT officials.
DOT officials will close lanes on the bridge on approximately 12 occasions during the bridge rehabilitation project. During the times when the bridge is closed, police officers will be stationed on either side of the bridge. Only emergency vehicles will be allowed to use the bridge during these closures.
Additional overnight work will require closing three of the four lanes between 11:30 p.m. and 5 a.m., with eastbound and westbound drivers alternating a single lane. For this, a temporary traffic signal will be installed to direct motorist across the 55-year-old drawbridge during these intermittent closures.
During the day, two lanes will remain open for traffic coming on and off the island. A stop sign is being installed at U.S. 74/West Salisbury Street near the N.C. Wildlife boat ramp. After stopping, westbound drivers will merge onto U.S. 76, traveling west toward Wilmington.
Rehabilitation plans call for installation of a new steel grid floor, upgrades to the operator house, as well as replacing motors, locks and other functioning elements.
For real-time travel information, call 511 or visit DOT’s website.
Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a smartphone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into your browser and bookmark it for future reference.
