The Wil-Cox Bridge will begin carrying two-way traffic over the Yadkin River between Davidson and Rowan counties on Thursday at 9 a.m. The traffic pattern change will allow local motorists to reach businesses located on the north side of Spencer more efficiently.
The N.C. Department of Transportation will open one lane of the Wil-Cox Bridge in each direction to local traffic only. Large trucks and motorists traveling on U.S. 29 to destinations outside Spencer must still follow the official detour route down I-85 to Long Ferry Road (Exit 81). This traffic pattern will remain in place until construction of the new U.S. 29/70 bridge is complete in 2014.
In preparation for the change, NCDOT has made several safety enhancements to the Wil-Cox Bridge, which include:
• Reducing the speed limit to 20 mph;
• Placing rumble strips on the bridge to remind drivers to slow down; and
• Installing raised reflectors on the pavement to help motorists easily see where the lanes are located.
NCDOT closed the U.S. 29/70 bridge over the Yadkin River to traffic in April to allow crews to replace the 61-year-old bridge with a new one that meets modern safety and design standards. When the closure went into effect, all northbound traffic had to follow a detour route that included traveling on I-85. Southbound traffic was moved onto the historic Wil-Cox Bridge, which was rehabilitated in 2011.
Some business owners in Spencer voiced concerns that the U.S. 29/70 bridge detour route was impacting their revenue. NCDOT staff worked closely with town leaders and the business owners to make changes that would allow local drivers to easily access and patronize businesses in north Spencer.
In addition, NCDOT has installed some temporary signs to let the public know that businesses on U.S. 29 North are still open while the bridge construction work is under way. The signs are posted at the intersections of Salisbury Avenue and Jefferson Street, and N.C. 150 and Old Salisbury Road.
The renovation of the Wil-Cox Bridge and the replacement of the U.S. 29/70 bridge are part of phase one of the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project. Phase one includes widening 3.3 miles of I-85 from four to eight lanes from north of Long Ferry Road (Exit 81) in Rowan County to just north of the N.C. 150 interchange in Davidson County, reconstructing the N.C. 150 interchange and replacing eight bridges, including the Yadkin River bridge.
For more information about the project, visit www.i-85yadkinriver.com or follow NCDOT’s I-85 Twitter feed, https://twitter.com/ncdot_i85.