By Steve Huffman
shuffman@salisburypost.com
Davidson County commissioners voted last week to take ownership of the Wil-Cox Bridge, a move they think will increase tourism and prove a financial blessing to the area.
Commissioner Billy Joe Kepley, who described himself as the “ramrod” behind Davidson County taking the bridge’s ownership, cited a long list of draws for the venture.
He said the Trading Ford Historic Site is a natural for a park and historic area, noting that Camp Yadkin, a Civil War fort, stood atop York Hill at the site. Kepley said he and other commissioners are hoping the county will eventually take ownership of the hill, and turn the area into a draw for Civil War enthusiasts.
A greenway could go through the area, Kepley said, attracting hikers, campers, bicyclists and horse riders. The Yadkin River will always prove a draw, he said.
“If you build it,” Kepley said, trying not very successfully to mask a chuckle, “they will come.”
Davidson County commissioners voted unanimously to take ownership of the bridge, which was built in 1922. It spans the Yadkin River at the border of Davidson and Rowan counties, and serves motorists traveling U.S. 29.
Commissioners agreed that saving the bridge was an investment in Davidson County history.
Board members faced a deadline last week set by the N.C. Department of Transportation for an answer that would decide if the bridge would stand or be demolished following completion of a replacement Interstate 85 bridge.
According to Kepley, Pat Ivey, Division 9 engineer for the N.C. DOT, said replacing the Interstate 85 bridge could be done quicker if the Wil-Cox bridge didn’t have to be razed.
Kepley and other Davidson County commissioners said the DOT has offered the county $2.5 million to repair and improve the bridge if it took ownership, in the process transforming it into a pedestrian walkway. Kepley said he’s been told there’s a good chance the county will receive matching funds for the project, meaning the $2.5 million from the state could be doubled. Kepley said if that happens, the additional funds could be invested and the bridge’s long-term maintenance would be financed.
As it now stands, if the DOT is used for the bridge’s renovation, the county estimates it will have $500,000 remaining for maintenance. Kepley said commissioners are hoping to cut into the price tag for the bridge’s renovation by using members of a local Army National Guard unit for much of the work.
He said Guardsmen have volunteered for the work, and all the county will be expected to pay is for materials.
“They’ve got an engineering group and architects,” Kepley said. “They’ve got equipment to do much of the work.”
He said he feels Rowan County will benefit more financially from the project than Davidson County. Kepley noted it’s an easier drive from the bridge to Spencer, East Spencer and Salisbury than it is to any Davidson County municipality. He noted the N.C. Transportation Museum isn’t far up the road in Spencer.
Kepley said he was surprised Rowan County officials didn’t express an interest in assuming ownership of the bridge. In March, Rowan commissioners voted unanimously to decline ownership.
Kepley said he hopes both counties eventually reap benefits from the project.
“I wish Rowan County the best even though they’re not taking any responsibility,” Kepley said. “What’s good for Rowan County is good for Davidson County.”
He said the state estimates it will be two to three years before the project is complete, but said he expects the work to be more in the five-to-10-year time frame.
Carl Ford, chairman of the Rowan County commissioners, said he wishes Davidson County the best with the project, but said he’ll believe all the promises of money from the state when he sees the dollars rolling in.
In March, when Rowan County commissioners rejected the project, Ford referred to the bridge as a “money pit” and said Tuesday his feelings remain largely the same.
“There’s lots of so-called promised money from the state, but I don’t see it happening,” he said. “It’s pie in the sky. They’re taking away money from the schools and whatnot. I don’t see how they’re going to come up with money for this.”
Ford said there are concerns about the bridge’s condition, and the potential cost of repairs and maintenance. He said the most anyone mentioned to him the state offering for bridge maintenance was $1 million, and even that money was far from finalized.
Ford said he’s also heard questions concerning lighting for a park built at the site, with people wondering who’s going to pay for utilities as well as nighttime law enforcement patrols.
Former Spencer Mayor Buddy Gettys for several years headed The Bridge Club, a group whose members supported saving the bridge. He said he was delighted the structure will apparently be saved, regardless of who assumes ownership.
“We didn’t want to lose that bridge,” Gettys said. “I was real happy things turned out the way they did. I’d just as soon Davidson County have ownership, anyway.”