Wright Memorial Bridge Work Finished, Reopens Today!
The N.C. Department of Transportation will reopen the westbound U.S. 158 Wright Memorial Bridge at the Currituck and Dare County line to traffic today. All work on the bridge deck project is now complete.
NCDOT crews are currently in the process of opening the westbound bridge over the Currituck Sound. Once the bridge is open later this morning, crews will then work on removing the temporary two-lane, two-way traffic pattern on the eastbound bridge and restoring the bridge to its normal traffic pattern. Both bridges are expected to be back to their regular traffic patterns by the end of the day today, weather permitting.
NCDOT closed the bridge to traffic in September 2014 so that crews with G.A. & F.C. Wagman Inc. of York, Pa. could finish a project that began in September 2013 that included replacing the top portion of the existing concrete on the bridge deck with a layer of latex-modified concrete to smooth out humps in each span of the bridge and extend its service life. The project also included replacing expansion joints, which enable the bridge to expand and contract with the weather.
Work involving the latex-modified concrete overlay was weather and wind dependent. It could only be done when air temperatures were between 50 and 85 degrees, surface temperatures were between 40 and 85 degrees, and wind speeds were no greater than 10 miles per hour. Due to these restrictions, the department had a limited window of time to complete the work in order for it to be done in time to reopen the bridge by May 15, which was the project deadline.
A $6.3 million contract was awarded to G.A. & F.C. Wagman Inc. in June 2013 for this preservation project, which is part of the department’s overall bridge program to improve the condition of the state’s bridges.
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