Bladenboro Highway will receive upgraded drainage

BLADENBORO, NC (WWAY) — A highway near the Bladen-Columbus county border will be temporarily closed in the coming weeks for drainage improvements.

An North Carolina Department of Transportation contractor will replace three crossline pipes under NC 131 (Bladenboro Highway) with larger pipes to improve the flow of water during storms.

Crews will replace one drainpipe at a time in the vicinity of the county border; each pipe will require the highway to close to through-traffic for approximately five days, excluding weekends.

They plan to start with the first pipe on Monday morning.

The work is weather-dependent, and it could be postponed.

If crews finish the first pipe next week, then they will move on to the second pipe the week of August 18.

The department will post the dates of each pipe closure at the DriveNC.gov website under Columbus County when they are scheduled.

The detour for all three will be the same: Silver Spoon, Mount Olive School and Arthur Collier roads.

Drivers should be mindful of the longer commute using the detour, and be alert near the work sites.

The highway where these drainpipes are being replaced will be resurfaced over the next year.