When Gov. Perdue participated in the groundbreaking for the Interstate 85 Corridor Improvement Project (including reconstruction of the Yadkin River Bridge), she reminded us that the bridge serves as a critical route between Atlanta and Richmond as it carries more than 60,000 cars and trucks each day.
I crossed that bridge this week and was amazed with the progress that our Department of Transportation is making to advance this much-needed effort. The work that is visibly underway near the Yadkin River is a clear reminder of the commitment by the Governor and the N.C. Department of Transportation to proactively address the major transportation needs of our State through innovation, partnerships and a business-like approach to addressing priorities and integrating different modes of transportation.
The Corridor Improvement Project is a great example of this approach. Phase II of the Project (widening and other improvements to Interstate 85) is to be funded entirely by the N.C. Mobility Fund, which was approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor this past June. The N.C. Mobility Fund also created new revenue sources to address critical transportation projects on a Statewide or regional basis. Contracts for Phase II should be let in 2011, and will be executed as design-build arrangements.
Phase I has already begun, and will include both the replacement of eight bridges and Interstate interchange reconstructions. Final completion of this phase is currently expected in January, 2013, about eight months earlier than estimated by NCDOT.
Innovative techniques to be used by the contractor in this Phase include using each completed section of the U.S. 29/70 bridge as the work platform for the next section, thereby eliminating the need for a temporary work bridge; and, constructing a single temporary work bridge instead of two separate work bridges when replacing the I-85 bridge, which will accelerate the work schedule and be more accommodating to the environment.
The I-85 Corridor Improvement Project/Yadkin River Bridge replacement is an outstanding example of how Gov. Perdue is improving government efficiency and performance and bringing new ideas and approaches to addressing the critical transportation needs of our State.