Motorists traveling from Columbus toward the Green Creek area will face a detour this week even without weather-related road hazards.

As of Tuesday, Feb. 11, the North Carolina Department of Transportation closed Landrum Road to replace the bridge over Hooper Creek in Polk County. DOT says the current bridge, built in 1955, is “considered functionally obsolete and structurally deficient, which means that although the bridge is safe, it was built to design standards that are no longer in use.”

For the detour, drivers should follow Red Fox Road north to Henderson Road then to Luther Durham Road to Golf Course Road and back to Landrum Road. Local traffic will be allowed access up to the bridge location from each direction, but will not be able to pass through, since the bridge will be removed.

Area resident Bill Pomeroi contacted the Bulletin upset that more information had not been provided to citizens who might travel the road. He said “road closed” signs went up three or four days before the road was actually closed.

“Its logical that thee should be some interface between the DOT and the county,” Pomeroi said. “It seems that there is a real lack of communication. This is not a minor inconvenience. This is a major inconvenience for three months.”

According to the NCDOT website (apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases), the project includes grading, drainage, paving and replacing the existing bridge with a cast-in-place concrete culvert. Motorists are advised to use caution while traveling in the area and to expect delays. NCDOT reminds motorists to watch signs for construction information, stay alert and obey the posted speed limit.

The $507,722.05 contract for the project was awarded to Sloan Construction of Duncan, S.C. The replacement is expected to be finished by mid-May. For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter.