Last Updated on July 5, 2012 7:39 pm
N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Gene Conti has awarded a $3.5 million design-build contract to replace three bridges in Alleghany County, two in Ashe County, two in Avery County and three in Wilkes County.
The contract was awarded to James R. Vannoy and Sons Construction Company Inc. of Jefferson. Work can begin as early as July 30 and is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 1, 2014.
The state-funded Bridge Improvement Program is utilizing a new project procurement process called express design-build, which can go from zero to construction in a short period of time. The process provides a faster procurement time than the traditional design-build methodology in that contractors are not required to submit a technical proposal.
More than 160 bridge replacement projects were awarded this past year and 150 more bridge replacement projects across all 14 highway divisions are anticipated to be awarded utilizing the express design-build process over the next fiscal year.
The three bridges in Alleghany County being replaced, and detours around the projects, are located on:
· Old U.S. 21 over Carson Branch in Glade Valley: Take Old U.S. 21 to U.S. 21.
· Reeves Ridge Road over an unnamed creek in New Haven: Take Reeves Ridge Road to N.C. 93.
· Little River Road over an unnamed tributary to the New River in Ennice: Take Little River Road in North Carolina to Little River Road in Virginia to Pleasant Home Road in North Carolina.
The two bridges in Ashe County being replaced, and detours around the projects, are located on:
Hoke Wagoner Road over Nathans Creek in Chestnut Hill: Take Hoke Wagner Road to J.E. Gentry Road to U.S. 221.
Little Laurel Road over Little Laurel Creek in Roten. Traffic will be maintained on site during construction.
The two bridges in Avery County being replaced, and detours around the projects, are located on:
White Pine Road over White Pine Creek in Crossnor. Take White Pine Road to Old N.C. 194.
Little Horse Creek Road over Little Horse Creek in Cranberry Gap. Traffic will be maintained on site during construction.
The three bridges in Wilkes County being replaced and detours around the projects are located on:
Berry Branch Road over Bumgarner Branch in Wilbar. Traffic will be maintained on site during construction.
Mt. Sinai Road over Clercy Branch in Windy Gap. Traffic will be maintained on site during construction.
Broyhill Road over S. Palm Moravian Falls Creek in Moravian Falls. Traffic will be maintained on site during construction.
These bridges are considered to be structurally deficient and/or functionally obsolete, and have reached the end of their life cycle. This does not mean the bridges are unsafe, but there are elements of the bridges that need to be monitored to maintain structural integrity. Many of these bridges have weight limits that do not allow heavier truck traffic to cross, and these replacements will remove the postings.
This is one of 23 contracts totaling $246.7 million awarded by Conti last month for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina. NCDOT awarded the contracts to the lowest bidders, as required by state law. The bids received on the projects awarded came in about 5.9 percent, or $15.4 million, below NCDOT estimates.
