233 feet of bridge complete at N.C. 12

HATTERAS ISLAND, N.C. (WAVY) - The North Carolina Department of Transportation said Thursday crews completed 43 more feet of the temporary bridge at Highway 12, bringing the total to 233 feet.

Hurricane Irene created four breaches in the highway when she tore through the area last month.

Once completed, the temporary bridge will span 662 feet and will create new channels for water flow. The 32-feet wide will cost more than $6 million.

On Friday, NCDOT officials said at the temporary bridge location on Pea Island, crews will pour concrete into the formwork for the footings at bent 3, if weather permits.  Bents are substructures supporting each end of the bridge span.

Crews finished setting up the pile driving template at bent 2 and began installing piles. Due to the limited amount of work space on the south side of the breach, crews need to coordinate crane and equipment movements with the tide changes.

During high tide, crews have less access in their work space. Once the piles are installed for bent 2, the contractor will be able to work from platforms and be less impacted by tidal changes.

NDOT expects to re-open Highway 12 sometime in early October, weather permitting.

A permanent solution will be put into place once the state figures out how to solve the problem of Pea Island washing out.

Temporary Bridge Facts:

• Piling: 41 piles driven out of 82 total piles.
• Sheet Piling Bulkhead: 558 linear feet out of 726 total linear feet.
• Concrete Footings: 4 footings poured out of 12 total footings.
• Bridge Truss Spans: 233 linear feet out of 662 total linear feet.