Dare County, N.C. - A project to smooth out a bumpy ride on the Wright Memorial Bridge is set to start Monday.
The Wright Memorial Bridge connects Currituck County to Dare County.
The project will replace the existing concrete on the bridge deck with a latex-modified concrete that should be smoother.
During the project, which is slated to be completed by May 15, 2014, the eastbound span of the bridge will become bidirectional while the westbound span is closed to traffic.
During a visit to the Outer Banks Wednesday, North Carolina Transportation Secretary Tony Tata says the decision to start the closure before the end of hurricane season was a judgment call.
"If we were to do it any later, then it would spill over into tourism season," Tata said.
Tata says engineers are watching hurricane forecasts closely and if it looks like one might affect North Carolina, shifts to the closure plan could be made.
For now, though, it's full speed ahead for the Monday start date.
"Right now, we feel confident that we can evacuate as necessary on the eastbound bridge that would become the westbound bridge if we had to do an evacuation," Tata explained.
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Project should smooth out bumpy ride across Outer Banks bridge
