Update on progress of repairs to local bridges

Several major bridges have either undergone repairs or will soon face construction. Good news for commuters, DOT engineers say all the projects are on schedule.

The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge has undergone repairs for about a month now, and engineers consider it to be 80 percent complete. Most of the work replacing cracked beams has been done underneath the bridge, which has resulted in minimal lane closures.

DOT engineer Greg Basinger says there have been fewer traffic delays than originally expected. The project is scheduled to be completed by August 15. Two Wrightsville beach bridges will soon undergo repairs. The northern bridge near Johnny Mercer’s Pier and the southern bridge near Wings have steel and concrete parts that need replacing.

"The conditions in these bridges are primarily due to the salt environment that they are in down at Wrightsville Beach. They get a lot of salt spray from the jet skis and the boats that go through the bridge. It throws a lot of that up there, plus the salt air," said Basinger.

Work on those two bridges is scheduled to begin August 4. Most of the work will be done underneath and have little impact on traffic. There were also recent repairs to the Isabel Holmes Bridge, but that work is completed. Basinger wants drivers to know all of these bridges are safe and if at any time they were not considered to be in good condition, they would be closed down.