Contract crews for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) are making headway on the project to replace the N.C. 105 bridge over the Watauga River and improve the intersection with Broadstone Road. Crews from Wright Brothers Construction Company are working daily to remove material and stabilize mountainsides – necessary operations to create room for the improvements.

Additional stabilization is needed because an absence of prevalent rock in hillsides has created challenging conditions resulting in less progress than anticipated to date. The hillside operations will continue for several months before bridge construction commences.

Ivan Dishman, the Division Construction Enginner for Division 11 said in a news release from the NCDOT “Slope stabilization is imperative to having a safe and successful completion of this project. We have worked with geotechnical engineers to come up with the best possible solution for our slopes and our contractor is diligently pursuing the stabilization work so that the replacement of the bridge can start as soon as possible.”

Recently, smart work zone message boards displaying real-time travel times for motorists throughout the corridor were installed along N.C. 105. The new boards provide drivers with an up-to-the-minute assessment of travel delays. Once completed, the $20 million project will reduce traffic congestion and improve safety for motorists and cyclists.

Motorists are encouraged to slow down, use caution, and exercise patience when approaching the work zone.​