The N.C. Department of Transportation has awarded a design-build contract to construct a new bridge at Rodanthe. The winning design-build team is Flatiron Constructors, Inc., of Broomfield, Colo., who submitted a bid of $145,336,271.
The 2.4-mile-long bridge, known as a "jug handle", will extend from the southern end of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge over the Pamlico Sound into Rodanthe. The new bridge will be a long-term solution to keep Highway 12 open through an area that is prone to severe storm damage.
In December, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued the last environmental document for the project, which gives final approval to move forward with construction and allows the NCDOT to award the contract for design and construction.
Design and permitting is expected to take about one year to complete. Construction will begin afterwards, and could start as early as January 2018. Based on Flatiron's schedule, the bridge is expected to open to traffic by early summer 2020, approximately a year earlier than the NCDOT's previously anticipated completion date.
The design-build method allows the design, environmental permitting, utility relocation and construction to take place under one contract, which reduces overall construction time, helps the department avoid cost inflation, lessens environmental impact and alleviates driving delays for motorists.
The north Rodanthe "jug handle" bridge is the third leg of the Bonner Bridge replacement project.
The replacement of the Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet began in the spring, and it is expected to be open for traffic in the fall of 2018.
The new temporary bridge over Pea Island Inlet, opened in 2011 by Hurricane Irene, is also underway and is expected to be completed in May.