Stimulus funding to refurbish Alligator River bridge

Federal stimulus money will pay for restoration work on the Alligator River Bridge linking Tyrrell and Dare counties on U.S. 64, the main route between the Outer Banks and Raleigh.

A $1.2 million contract was awarded to Coastal Gunite Construction Co. of Cambridge, Md. last month, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. A statement said work can begin as early as April 1, this week, and will have to be finished no later than than June 30, 2011.

Crews will build a concrete shield around deteriorating bridge piles to strengthen them, according to NCDOT. Steel, including the draw span, will be painted, and some minor concrete work will be done on the bridge’s substructure.

Work on the moveable span will have to be completed by the end of July of this year, NCDOT said.

The bridge will stay open to traffic, but there will be some lane closings.

The project was one of 12 funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It was one of 43 contracts awarded in February at a cost of $138.3 million.