Area residents can now travel the entire length of Pearson Falls Road for the first time in almost a year.

The replacement of the Pearson Falls bridge was completed last Friday, according to N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) officials.

The road was reopened on Monday.

The $1.05 million project took almost a year partly because contractors had to deal with a harsh Saluda winter with higher than average snowfall as well as recent heavy rains. The project began last July.

The new bridge replaces a structurally deficient bridge over the North Pacolet River. The former bridge was constructed in 1962 along the gravel portion of Pearson Falls Road between Pearson Falls and Saluda.

The old bridge was removed as part of the recent construction with the new bridge being built adjacent to the former bridge. The new bridge includes paving for a short distance on either end, but the road on both sides of the bridge soon returns to gravel.

Palmetto Structures Co., Inc. of Spartanburg, S.C., was awarded a $919,120 contract by the DOT last March for the bridge construction. The state also spent $140,000 on the project. Work was originally expected to begin last April with an expected completion date of November, 2009. The project experienced initial delays and didnt begin until late July, after which it was delayed further by weather.

The states Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) includes the replacement of a smaller bridge on Pearson Falls Road over a small branch of the Pacolet River, but funding for that project is not scheduled until 2013.

Some residents during a recent DOT hearing concerning the states secondary road improvement plan asked state officials about paving Pearson Falls Road. DOT officials said they would like all state roads paved, but there have been issues obtaining rights of way along the road.

Residents expressed concern over some areas of the road being impassable during heavy rains and other inclement weather.