Last Updated on May 2, 2026 9:10 am
The N.C. 105 Bridge Replacement Project remains on schedule for completion in late 2027, with crews expected to shift traffic onto the new bridge by late summer or early fall, according to information provided to WataugaOnline.com by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Chrissy Murphy, NCDOT's Division 11 and 12 Communications Officer, provided an updated project summary covering construction progress, upcoming milestones, and the challenges the project team has encountered along the way.
The project is nearing the end of its first phase. Most of the widening work near the Watauga River is finished, and the first section of the new bridge is nearly complete. The only remaining step before Phase One wraps up is the installation of a temporary portable concrete barrier.
Once Phase One is complete, traffic will shift from the existing bridge to the new structure while crews remove the old bridge and construct the remainder of the new span in its place. Murphy said the current schedule anticipates that traffic shift happening by late summer or early fall.
Crews have also made significant progress on grading along both the north and south sides of the bridge. Most large-scale rock removal along N.C. 105 is finished, though blasting and excavation will continue at the Broadstone Road intersection to allow installation of a retaining wall. All major excavation and rock removal is expected to be complete by early summer 2026, according to Murphy.
The project has presented ongoing logistical challenges. Murphy told WataugaOnline.com that coordinating construction activities on both sides of the two-lane mountain corridor has required careful planning to keep workers safe, maintain traffic flow, and allow grading, rock removal, and bridge construction to proceed simultaneously. Seasonal traffic patterns and local events have also required occasional adjustments to work schedules.
Weather and terrain have added to the complexity. After Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina in September 2024, Wright Brothers Construction Co. Inc. voluntarily suspended operations on the project to support hurricane recovery efforts across the region. Despite the pause, Murphy said the overall project timeline was largely unaffected.
The project's original scope has changed substantially. Work was initially expected to be completed in spring 2025 at a cost of $20.2 million. The timeline was extended to late 2027 and the budget grew to approximately $48.7 million, primarily because rock removal and slope stabilization requirements proved far more extensive than originally anticipated.
Photo: Kenneth Reece/WataugaOnline
