Replacement of this decades-old Brunswick bridge to include new technology

The replacement of the Calabash River Bridge is well underway, and officials with the N.C. Department of Transportation say it is on schedule.

Replacing the decades-old Brunswick County bridge is expected to be a two-year feat . The bridge has been closed to traffic since the demolition of the old bridge began in September. The replacement project, which officials say is now 55% complete, is expected to wrap up by May 2025.

Joshua Pratt, resident engineer with NCDOT, said the project is moving forward smoothly so far.

The original bridge was built in 1975, and the deficiencies of the 48-year-old structure became noticeable to officials over the past several years. In 2022, NCDOT officials said the bridge had “aged out of usefulness” and its annual maintenance costs had continued to increase. During heavy rain, the bridge would flood, creating unsafe conditions for motorists and first responders.

The new bridge will be wider, longer and taller than the previous structure. Larger shoulders and a 10-foot multi-use path will account for the extra width. The new bridge will be six to seven feet higher than the existing bridge, bringing it to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standards for 50-year water-surface elevation, Pratt said.

Wilmington-based S&C Construction, LLC, is the contractor on the nearly $9.6 million project.

While the old bridge didn’t close until September 2023, work has been ongoing since July 2023. Pratt said the contractor has completed the construction of eight of the nine substructure supports for the bridge, as well as the foundation on the edge of the bridge. Storm drain and utility work has been completed, Pratt said, and grading for the multi-use path is ongoing.

The new bridge will feature a new technology that has only been used on one other North Carolina bridge, Pratt said. The concrete piles – the posts that are driven into the ground to act as a support for the bridge – will be reinforced with carbon fiber. Additionally, the indents of the bridge will feature glass-fiber reinforced bars.

“The carbon fiber and glass fiber are kind of a new material,” Pratt said. The first bridge these materials were used on, he said, was the Harkers Island Bridge in Carteret County. That project was just completed in late 2023.

“The idea is that using the carbon fiber and the glass fiber, you don’t have the same issues you do with steel with corrosion,” he said. “In a salty environment, corrosion is a bigger factor.”

Pratt said the Wrightsville Beach bridges that are slated for replacement will likely feature this material, as well. Those projects are currently in the design phase.

During the replacement of the Calabash River Bridge, motorists have been detoured onto Old Georgetown Road, Seaside Road, Sunset Boulevard and Shoreline Drive. Businesses in the area remain open during construction.

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The project is on schedule to be complete by May 1, 2025. Pratt said there is a $750,000 incentive bonus if the contractor meets that deadline.

Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Replacement of this decades-old Brunswick bridge to include new technology