The North Carolina Department of Transportation closed the Lee Cudd Road east of Columbus beginning Monday, Dec. 10, to replace the bridge over Hensons Creek.

A signed detour directs southbound motorists to follow Poors Ford Road to Chesnee Road, turn left and follow Chesnee Road to Tanner Road, then turn left again to rejoin Lee Cudd Road. Northbound motorists will follow the same route in reverse.

The new bridge will be wider and safer than the existing bridge, which does not meet current construction standards. The bridge replacement will be carried out by Apple Tuck and Associates Inc. of Rutherfordton. The contractor will have until April 8, 2013, to complete construction.

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. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into the browser of your smartphone. Then, bookmark it to save for future reference. NCDOT Mobile is compatible with the iPhone, Android and some newer Blackberry phones.

– article submitted by N.C. Department of Transportation