The U.S. 64 swing bridge over the Alligator River in Tyrrell and Dare counties was reopened to traffic Sunday evening after being closed for 12 days.
A key part used to keep the bridge closed and support the weight of the vehicles called a wedge guide broke during repairs. Replacement parts were secured on Sunday, the wedge guide was repaired and the bridge opened at 11:45 p.m.
N.C. Department of Transportation crews removed signs on U.S. 64 once the bridge was open. Detour signing on N.C. 94 and U.S. 264 was removed Monday morning.
During the closure, the bridge was swung into the open position. Workers replaced the center pivot and eight balance wheels. Workers adjusted the new parts of the bridge, as well as performed work on the gear and drive shafts.
The bridge opens an average of 500 times a month. Because of the amount of use, the mechanical components of the bridge were worn and needed to be replaced.
For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into the browser of your smartphone. Then, bookmark it to save for future reference. NCDOT Mobile is compatible with the iPhone, Android and some newer Blackberry phones.
You can go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaHW4sjBuwA for an up-close look at the rehabilitation work.
