SEPTEMBER 24, 2009 ISSUE
Goshen Creek Bridge Reopens
The Goshen Creek Bridge, which had been closed for repairs since March 2008, reopened last Thursday. Photo submittedThe Goshen Creek Bridge, located about five miles north of the intersection of Highway 321 and the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 286, reopened on Thursday, September 17, said Blue Ridge Parkway Chief of Maintenance Mike Molling.
The road closed in March 2008 and work was originally expected to take 300 calendar days.
“We had some delay due to some design issues,” Molling said.
Since the closure, motorists traveling on the parkway had followed a detour around the construction from Aho Gap to the Bamboo Road entrance, estimated to be approximately eight miles.
Originally constructed in 1948, the bridge had not undergone significant repairs until its March 2008 closure. The cement of the bridge deck had deteriorated and had almost worn through to the girders, Molling said.
“We replaced the entire deck,” he said, adding that it was time-consuming both to remove the original deck and to come up with a design for the new deck. “The geometry of that particular bridge is [it is] going downhill and it’s on a curve,” he said.
In addition to replacing the bridge deck and related work, more crashworthy railings were installed, Molling said.
Taylor & Murphy Construction Company of Asheville was awarded a $2.8 million contract from the Blue Ridge Parkway to conduct the work. They negotiated with the Federal Highway Administration, who oversaw the project, to come up with a revised completion date, Molling said.
“I’m glad we went through the process to come out with a reasonable end product,” Molling said. “It’s a very important project in terms of maintaining the integrity of the bridge.”
For updated parkway road conditions and closings, call 828-298-0398.
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