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Completion date for project now summer of 2025

 

TRYON—The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently shared an update regarding the replacement of the first bridge on Howard Gap Road. The bridge suffered severe damage on June 20, 2023, following heavy rainfall that caused the North Pacolet River to flood. 

In a statement to the Tryon Daily Bulletin, NCDOT confirmed the target for the project’s completion is now set for the end of the summer. It was initially expected to be completed by April 7, 2025. As part of the preparation process, Duke Power is relocating its equipment from the area so work can begin, according to NCDOT Division 14 District Supervisor Wanda Payne. 

Payne said bridge construction should begin in May, with the target completion date contingent on any unforeseen issues that may arise during the construction phase. The estimated project cost is $1,187,600, with the contract awarded to RE Burns & Sons Co. Inc., based in Statesville, NC, in October of 2023.

A separate portion of Howard Gap Road between Indian Mountain Road and Page Mountain Road has been closed for over five years. After heavy rains in 2018, one section of the road is crumbling.

Payne said the NCDOT’s plans to repair the road have been complicated by a recent freeze on federal grants, which includes the PROTECT grants that NCDOT had applied for to assist with funding these repairs. The Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation grant program aimed to finance projects that enhance the resilience of surface transportation against natural hazards. 

NCDOT is collaborating with local officials to explore and find alternative funding sources to support the repairs.