Construction estimated at $3.28 million near Lake Adger Dam

MILL SPRING — The North Carolina Department of Transportation is proposing a new bridge on Highway 9 over the Green River in Mill Spring.

The NCDOT held a public information meeting on Tuesday and met with residents with maps and information at the Coopers Gap Baptist Church in the Sunny View community.

The drop-in meeting drew at least 40 residents who signed in.

The project is proposed to begin construction in January 2020, with construction costs estimated at $3.28 million. Right-of-way costs have not yet been estimated.

Right of way acquisition is slated for March 2019.

The current bridge is estimated to be 80 years old.

State engineers said Tuesday the bridge’s sufficiency rating is 42.3 out of 100.

“A sufficiency rating establishes the eligibility and priority for replacement or rehabilitation,” engineers said. “The bridge on N.C. 9 is considered structurally deficient based on being at least 10 years old and being a deteriorating structure.”

The proposal is to build a new bridge beside the current bridge. The new bridge would essentially straighten out the road and will require right of way acquisition.

Engineers said the project is expected to be implemented through staged construction, and will maintain two lanes of traffic during construction. One-lane traffic may be necessary during the final pavement of the project, but engineers said they plan to keep those to a minimum.

Tuesday’s meeting was part of the state’s public comment portion of the project. The project, named Project No. BR-0040, is part of the State Transportation Improvement Program. Public comment is being accepted until Dec. 11. The project can be found at ncdot.gov/news/public-meetings.

Questions or comments can be sent to Chris Haire by calling 919-230-7857 or emailing chaire@drmp.com; or David Stutts by calling 919-707-6442 or emailing dstutts@ncdot.gov.