Contractors for the N.C. Department of Transportation will be installing gates and fences around the southern end of the Bonner Bridge and adjoining catwalks this coming week, as workers prepare for demolition work on the bridge.
This will temporarily end public access to the bridge while the demolition takes place.
“It’s a safety issue,” said NCDOT Division One Engineer Jerry Jennings. “The south end of the old bridge will become a work zone for the next 10-12 months, so we need to keep the public out of harm’s way.”
About 1,000 feet of the bridge will remain after the demolition process and be converted into a public walkway and fishing pier that is expected to reopen in 2020.