The Department of Transportation is ordering five girders in the new Oak Island Bridge be replaced.
An inspector noticed cracks in one of the girders in June and stopped work on them all together. Further inspection revealed four more girders weren't acceptable according to DOT standards and must be replaced.
Construction on the bridge has been stifled since last December, when one of the girders collapsed, killing one of the workers.
The DOT says work on other parts of the bridge will be able to continue as the girders are replaced. At this point, the contractor has not requested an extension on the project. It it is scheduled to be complete in December.
Cheap materials and too much
Cheap materials and too much corner-cutting. The bridge will have to be up and open to traffic at least a year before I will feel safe crossing it.
Oak Island bridge girders
Curious as to why so many problems have cropped up. Is the design different than girders at Sunset Beach? Different supplier?