OAK ISLAND — The North Carolina Department of Transportation has awarded a $15.8 million contract for bridge preservation work on the N.C. 133 bridge into Oak Island. The upgrades will provide a completely redone surface as well as replace the barrier rails.
The project will detour traffic to the EF Middleton Boulevard Bridge for approximately six months during construction.
“Work on this project can begin as soon as June 25 and is scheduled to be completed by June 2019. It will require a maximum six-month closure of the bridge from mid-October 2018 after the U.S. Open King Mackerel Fishing Tournament until mid-April 2019 before the Easter holiday. The contractor can earn an incentive bonus for every day before that April date that the bridge is re-opened,” according to NCDOT.
While the bridge won’t officially shut down until October, construction will still cause some lane closures until then. Taking beach traffic in the summer into consideration, NCDOT is not permitting lane closures between 5 a.m. – 9 p.m., effective until the week after Labor Day.
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