Preliminary work on new Bonner Bridge set to start Tuesday
By Outer Banks Voice on February 22, 2016
Rendering of the new bridge. (NCDOT)
Motorists will early see signs of construction of the Bonner Bridge replacement starting Tuesday as the contractor begins its preliminary work.
PCL Constructors will be preparing an area at the south end of the bridge on Pea Island by installing erosion control measures and clearing vegetation on both sides of the highway, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Several feet of pavement on either side of the road will be added for traffic that will be shifted to the east to access the existing bridge during construction.
Motorists will see equipment working around the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge parking lot northbound on N.C. 12. Under an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the southern half of the lot is being converted to a staging area for construction equipment.
The northern half of the parking lot closest to the catwalks and bridge will remain open to the public. A new driveway will provide public access to the lot. The existing driveway will be used only by construction equipment.
NCDOT awarded a $216 million design-build contract to replace the bridge to PCL Constructors Inc. and HDR Engineering Inc. of the Carolinas. Construction on the 3.5-mile-long span is scheduled to begin in March.
