ELIZABETHTOWN — Water has been high, but the structure has nearly come down.

Work is progressing on time with the replacement of the U.S. 701 twin bridges over the Cape Fear River. The $23.3 million project of the state Department of Transportation moved earnestly in August when a contractor began demolition of the northbound bridge, and as 2021 begins, is on schedule for completion in May 2024.

The two bridges, when all is done, will be replaced by a single structure. It will have 8-foot shoulders on each side to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.

“It’s a complex project to maintain traffic while we build what will be a very large bridge,” said DOT Division 6 engineer Ken Clark in a September news release.

As the project moves forward, the new bridge being erected will eventually carry two-way traffic before it is fully completed. That should happen about spring or summer of 2022.

When it does, it will allow the southbound span to be demolished, and the remainder of the new bridge to be built. When finished, there will be only a few yards difference in where the two bridges were before and the new bridge spans across the river.

Thus far, no problems have arisen from a technical or mechanical standpoint.

DOT spokesmen, in answering questions from the Bladen Journal last week, said engineers recently got the results they expected for drilling a shaft into the ground.

The shafts are 6 feet in diameter (wide) each, and go about 125 feet below the ground. Each is reinforced with concrete to form a base, and the columns — also called bents, or piles — go into the shafts. The columns support the girders, on which the deck — meaning, the driving surface — is set.

Those driving across the southbound bridge today, or launching boats at the N.C. Wildlife access point, can see two bents yet to be removed. That will happen soon, when the river’s high water eases.

In the next three to six months, the contractor — Smith-Rowe of Mount Airy — will be drilling the shafts. There’ll be 28. That work should last until about June.

Two weeks ago, DOT gave the southbound bridge an inspection. There was nothing of the immediate nature to stop traffic, but all results are not yet in.

“We are still reviewing the data we collected,” DOT spokesmen say. “We hope to complete the analysis in the coming weeks.”

The viability of that bridge is pivotal in so many ways, particularly for emergency first responders. Without it, traffic either goes to Tar Heel to cross the river, or to Riegelwood — the only other crossings in the county.

There are construction moratoriums for the river. DOT says it is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Smith-Rowe is preparing to drive sheet piles into the ground that will encapsulate a work area, allowing progress to be made throughout the year.

DOT says it will abide by all federal regulations.

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