ELIZABETHTOWN — Another one down, 11 to go. With the recent opening of the Brown’s Creek Bridge on U.S. 701 South, traffic in at least one area is moving better.

“It’s a blessing that the road is open,” said Ron Taylor, whose business, Taylor Manufacturing, is located near Brown’s Creek. “I, for one, really appreciate it — it gives access back to our business, and I’m tickled with what they’ve done.”

The road opening is just the latest in a heavy slate of projects in Bladen County. N.C. Division of Highways District Engineer Drew Cox gave an update, which, he said, is more reflective of actual deadlines than the information currently on DOT’s web site.

“The dates online are given before a project starts,” he said. “The actual date could be ahead of or behind that date, and it usually changes once a project is underway.”

He added, “We still have a massive amount of work left to do in Bladen County.”

Now that U.S. 701 South is open, Cox said the top priority is Hwy. 242, a project he called “challenging.” Problems exist in three areas of the road: 0.06 miles south of LuLu Long Rd., 0.13 miles north of Johnsontown Rd., and near Jones Lake. The site near LuLu Long Rd. requires special manufacturing of pipe, and the Johnsontown Rd. site will require excavation for a box culvert. Near Jones Lake, an area is currently open because of a temporary repair, but will need to be closed in order to construct a permanent fix.

Cox said he anticipates all three projects being closed at the same time in order to shorten time the road is inaccessible, and he hopes to have the road construction complete by Memorial Day.

“We’re doing everything we can to expedite that work, but getting it all done by Memorial Day will be challenging,” Cox said.

Cox also provided the following updated information about current road closures:

December 2016

  • East of Tar Heel, Burney Road is closed in both directions 0.24 miles east of Tar Heel Road. Expected completion date is Dec. 21.
  • Currently under construction, N.C. 210 is closed in both directions between Greensbridge Road and Melvin’s Bridge Road. The expected completion date is Dec. 23.
  • Forrest Drive is closed in both directions 0.29 miles south of SR 1178. Originally scheduled for the end of January, DOT expects to finish repairs by Christmas.

January 2017

  • Pleasant Grove Church Road is closed in both directions 0.3 miles east of N.C. 410. Due to a delay in manufacturing, repairs are now expected to be complete mid-January.
  • In White Oak, N.C. 53 is closed in both directions 0.25 miles south of River Road. Cox said a “major setback” requiring a fiber optics utility adjustment has pushed back completion from late December to the middle of January.
  • West of Dublin, Paul Brisson Road is closed in both directions 1.17 miles east of N.C. 131. The projected completion date is Jan. 31.

February 2017

  • Old Rosindale Road is closed 0.47 miles north of Tram Road. Repairs are expected to be finished Feb. 28.

March 2017

  • Cromartie Road is closed in both directions 0.4 miles south of the bypass. Construction should be complete March 31.

May 2017

  • Owen Hill Road is closed in both directions 1.1 miles north of the N.C. 87 Bypass due to dam failure. The projected completion date has been pushed back from late April to Memorial Day.

Summer 2017

  • Unrelated to the storm, construction continues to impact traffic on N.C. 87 in Elizabethtown. Traffic is expected to begin utilizing the new alignment in late summer, and the entire project should be completed in the fall.

Chrysta Carroll can be reached by calling 910-862-4163.

http://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_crop1.jpg

http://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_crop2.jpg

By Chrysta Carroll

ccarroll@civitasmedia.com