State approves $136 million to replace bridge on I-85 over Yadkin River

SALISBURY (Winston-Salem Journal) - State transportation officials have approved a $136 million project to replace a 55-year-old bridge on one of the most congested areas of Interstate 85.

Officials with the N.C. Department of Transportation say that work should begin in October to replace the four-lane bridge over the Yadkin River near Salisbury with an eight-lane bridge.

The project will also expand about three miles of I-85 south of the bridge to eight lanes and replace a nearby bridge that takes U.S. 29/70 over the river.

The stretch of I-85 carries about 60,000 vehicles a day between Charlotte and Greensboro through a narrow stretch that includes a curve near the Yadkin River crossing.

The construction firm Flatiron-Lane hopes to finish the project by January 2013.