Planner: U.S. 321 South bridge work may need to wait a while

Sunday, March 11, 2007

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

Though the N.C. Department of Transportation has enough money to replace the southbound U.S. 321 bridge over the Catawba River, the project is not expected to start for several more years.

The work can't begin until an environmental study is completed, expected in July 2008, said John Tippett, transportation planner with the Western Piedmont Council of Governments in Hickory. Construction is scheduled to begin before 2013 and will cost about $10 million.

The 1950s bridge needs to be replaced because of its age and to accommodate the widened highway, Tippett said. The northbound bridge, built in the early 1980s, will be widened later; the state hasn't yet set aside money for it.

The state has also not allocated construction money for the U.S. 321 widening. The 17.2-mile project has an estimated $149.4 million price tag. Tippett said the state will likely build it in phases.


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