After closing in September, the westbound Wright Memorial Bridge on U.S. 158 over the Currituck Sound at the Currituck and Dare County line
reopened to traffic on Wednesday morning.
The N.C. Department of Transportation is currently in the process of opening the westbound bridge. Once the bridge is open, crews will then work on removing the temporary two-lane, two-way traffic pattern on the eastbound bridge and restoring the bridge to its normal traffic pattern. Both bridges are expected to be back to their regular traffic patterns by the end of the day today, weather permitting.
NCDOT closed the westbound bridge on September 16, 2013, to allow crews with G.A. & F.C. Wagman Inc. of York, Pa. to replace the top portion of the existing concrete on the bridge deck with a layer of latex-modified concrete that will smooth out humps in each span of the bridge and provide a better riding surface. In addition to this work, crews also worked on replacing expansion joints, which enable a bridge to expand and contract with the weather.
Crews were able to complete work on two-thirds of the bridge.
Per the project contract, the bridge will close again in September and crews will have until May 15, 2015, to finish work on the remaining one-third of the bridge.
This project is part of the department’s overall bridge program to improve the condition of the state’s bridges.
