State gets little stimulus, but new bridge on track

N.C. DOT says it will find $180 million to replace 55-year-old Yadkin River Bridge that's been deemed 'structurally deficient.'

(By Steve Harrison, The Charlotte Observer) - The federal government gave North Carolina only a fraction of the stimulus dollars it wanted to widen Interstate 85 and replace the aged Yadkin River Bridge, but state officials vowed Wednesday to find enough money for a new bridge.

The entire $330 million project received only $10 million in federal stimulus dollars, a decision that left state officials "extremely disappointed."

But the N.C. Department of Transportation said it will find the money to replace the 55-year-old bridge north of Salisbury, which lacks shoulders and has been deemed "structurally deficient" by the federal government.