State Department of Transportation officials have done it again.

And we happily tip our fedora to them!

When Hurricane Florence rocked our world not only Sept. 14 making landfall on the coast but especially in the week of flooding that followed, we were looking at some troubling times. Our routines were going to be upset, and in numerous ways.

Part of it was destruction and rebuilding. Another element would be to find our new normal.

The storm was linked to the deaths of 41 people in North Carolina. When all of us are willing to give true thought to our inconveniences compared to loss of life, or even property, our perspective gets a little better focus.

Bladen County in this hurricane was able to avoid death’s sting. Property was another matter. We were hammered, particularly in areas along waterways.

The wear and tear against the dike in Kelly, about seven decades worth but in particular where intentional damage was inflicted, left many without homes.

The roads through our nearly 900 square miles also took a beating, as did our bridges.

We first heard that the bridge ferrying traffic on U.S. 701 at the Sampson County line was going to be out for six months to a year. A bridge on Johnsontown Road was also disabled. Both needed rebuilding.

The DOT was overwhelmed, and not just for Division 6 that includes Bladen County and some of our neighbors. Fortunately the department has something of an ace up its sleeve, the ability to assess emergency work and move forward with what is known as an express design and build format.

Simply, it puts bridges back in business far quicker than what regulations normally permit. We have no issues with normal regulations, or the emergency capability.

On Friday, the Johnsontown Road bridge was back in operation. That’s less than five months after the storm. The bridge at the county line reopened in December.

And in Elizabethtown, we’ve learned that the lanes adjustment to the U.S. 701 twin bridges may be nearing an end. Whereas a February to June moratorium on construction work along the Cape Fear River could have halted a $1.67 million project that involves lane reductions on both bridge spans, three entities working together are doing the right thing.

DOT, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife all deem the removal of debris against the bridge supports a form of emergency work. Intercoastal Marine, contracted by DOT, is knocking it out despite the weather being far from cooperative the last couple of months.

This is only a small part of the recovery. There’s much more, especially with our neighbors’ homes and businesses.

Every part counts.

Today, for DOT and the spirit of cooperation helping them, we offer a sincere thanks.