ELIZABETHTOWN — Work on the Cape Fear River to remove debris piled against the supports of the U.S. 701 bridge into Elizabethtown will not be halted by a construction moratorium.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has given approval for the state Department of Transportation to continue despite the annual February to June break.

“This is emergency work caused by the hurricane,” Andrew Barksdale, a spokesman for DOT, wrote in an email to the Bladen Journal. “We can’t fully and safely inspect the bridge until we remove the jam, so the Corps is letting the work continue during the normal construction moratorium period. The Corps also recognizes that we are trying to remove material that is going downstream to where they are doing work on a lock and dam.”

Hurricane Florence struck near Wrightsville Beach on the morning of Sept. 14, a category 1 storm that lingered between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach for three days before moving away. It moved at a pace slower than humans walk.

The bands of the storm lifted moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and dumped it on the coastal plains of North and South Carolina, including 35.93 inches of rainfall in Elizabethtown. The following week, the Cape Fear rose to heights second only to a flood in September 1945.

Coming downstream with the water was just about any and every thing imaginable. Various elements of vegetation, trash to include propane cylinders — all of it came down the river and a large amount piled at the bridge. A week after the storm made landfall, a debris field on the water’s surface was the size of a baseball field.

Tory Hole Park has been closed since the storm hit. The boat landing had significant damage, and construction crews working from the parking lot have been battling more bad weather, and a high river at times, since the $1.67 project to remove the debris began in November.

In addition to removing the debris, a $2.9 million project to repair the fender system is also planned. The fender system involves the projection of the bridge supports, much like motorists see guardrails on land.

Because the fender system is not considered an emergency, that project will wait until the moratorium ends this summer. It also does not take as long to complete.

“As soon as we can remove the log jam, and it is safe to do the underwater inspection, we will review the results and decide on opening the bridge,” Barksdale said. “The new fender system will not require closing either bridge for construction. We will also be working with the town of Elizabethtown to open the park once the debris is removed and it is safe for citizens to enter.”

Barksdale said the DOT had high praise for the town of Elizabethtown, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their help and hard work with the Transportation Department on the project.

Intercoastal Marine won the bidding for both projects.

Alan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Debris is being removed from the Cape Fear River, a slew of various elements that came to rest against the U.S. 701 bridge after Hurricane Florence in September.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_bridge-1-701-021219.jpgAlan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Debris is being removed from the Cape Fear River, a slew of various elements that came to rest against the U.S. 701 bridge after Hurricane Florence in September.

Alan Wooten

Bladen Journal

Alan Wooten can be reached at 910-247-9132 or awooten@bladenjournal.com. Twitter: @alanwooten19.