Section of road to be closed: Bridge work on University Pkwy to take more than 2 months

(By Paul Garber, Winston-Salem Journal) - A section of University Parkway near 20th Street will be closed for construction for more than two months to replace a bridge that has crumbled twice within the last month, N.C. Department of Transportation officials said.

Authorities closed the bridge briefly last month for safety reasons after several pieces of concrete broke off the bridge and fell onto the underpass.

"It's just crumbling," Pat Ivey, a division engineer for the DOT, said of the bridge. "Does it need to be replaced? Absolutely."

More potholes developed last week, leading to lane closures on University Parkway, Ivey said. Those lanes have since reopened, but all lanes will be closed from June 6 to at least Aug. 20 for crews to begin replacing the bridge, a project that is ultimately expected to take six months to complete.