Construction will close two lanes of Wright Bridge for eight months

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has awarded a $6.3 million contract to G.A. & F.C. Wagman Inc. of York, Pa., for a preservation project on the westbound Wright Memorial Bridge over the Currituck Sound on U.S. 158 at the Currituck and Dare County line. The project will begin this fall to avoid impacts to summer traffic.
 
The project includes plans to replace the existing concrete on the bridge deck with a layer of latex-modified concrete that will provide a smooth riding surface. In addition to this work, expansion joints, which enable a bridge to expand and contract with the weather, will have their seals replaced during the project.
 
The westbound bridge will be closed during the project with traffic in a two-lane, two-way pattern on the eastbound bridge.

Work can begin as early as Sept. 15, with the bridge reopening to traffic by May 15, 2014.
 
Because of the nature of the preservation work involved in this project, work involving the latex-modified concrete overlay will be done only when air temperatures are between 50 and 85 degrees, surface temperatures are between 40 and 85 degrees, and wind speeds are no greater than 10 miles per hour.
 
This project is part of the department’s overall bridge program to improve the condition of the state’s bridges.
 
This is one of 29 contracts totaling $107.5 million awarded by NCDOT in June 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 9.1 percent, or $10.7 million, below NCDOT estimates.
 
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