Contractors for telephone company CenturyLink began removing telephone poles as well as fiber optic wire and telephone lines from alongside the Hugh Chatham bridge Wednesday of last week. The final stages of their pre-construction work prepares the bridge for its Aug. 9 demolition date.
In a meeting held at Mount Airy's N.C. Department of Transportation Office last Monday, July 26, Elkin Town Manager Lloyd Payne reviewed a pre-construction agenda for the demolition of the Hugh G. Chatham Bridge with the project's contractors and DOT officials.
The meeting gave Payne the opportunity to air questions and concerns regarding the bridge's expected year-long demolition, which is set to begin one week from today, on Aug. 9.
Last Monday's meeting also provided answers logistical issues between the town and the contractor, DLB, Inc. of Hillsville, Va. Among these points were determining the starting point of the bridge's demolition, public access to Crater Park during the demolition process and road closings in the downtown Elkin area.
According to Payne, the contractor has yet to decide whether the demolition will begin on the Elkin or the Jonesville side of the Hugh Chatham bridge.
“Every document I'd seen to this point had indicated that construction would begin on Elkin side...but the DOT did confirm that the way the contract was written allowed the contractor to start on either side,” said Payne.
Although only one week away, DLB, Inc. is still in the process of deciding which town's side of the bridge will be first to be sectioned off for demolition.
While Payne voiced concerns about how the construction work would affect Elkin's downtown business and access to Crater Park, located underneath the bridge on the Elkin side of the Yadkin River, the contractors reassured Payne that they would make an effort to limit the construction zone within the bridge's right of way and “not utilize Town of Elkin property” for general construction needs, including equipment and material storage.
DLB, Inc. told Payne that they would install temporary fencing to delineate any "off-limits" areas to the public during the ongoing demolition.
The contractors also stated that the boat ramp leading from Crater Park to the Yadkin River will, according to Payne, “continue to be accessible throughout the project.”
DLB, Inc. is also building a temporary gravel road off of Standard Street running parallel to the bridge to provide direct access to the boat ramp. Upon the completion of the project, the contractors will repair any damages to the boating access road in Crater Park and remove and reseed the temporary road.
Boaters' access to the Yadkin River will not be limited during the bridge's demolition, although recreational boaters will be required to pay special attention while nearing the construction area. Contractors will use a barge to remove pieces of the bridge over the Yadkin River. Directional signage telling boaters to keep left or right will be placed upstream and downstream of the bridge to give boaters advance warning when the barge is in the river.
Should the project begin on Elkin's side of the Hugh Chatham bridge, Payne also asked how the construction would affect traffic for Elkin's annual Pumpkin Festival, which is to be held on Saturday, Sept. 25.
The DLB, Inc. representative told Payne that his company will do their best to ensure that both lanes of Standard Street are open for the festival weekend. DLB, Inc. also told Payne that its employees would clean any construction debris and materials from the downtown area to help make the festival a success.
For any general road closings throughout the duration of the project, DLB, Inc. confirmed with Payne that it would provide a schedule two weeks prior to the date of any street closings or detours to allow the Town of Elkin time to address and adjust to public safety concerns.
Payne also asked DLB, Inc. to communicate any needs or issues regarding the bridge's demolition to him directly. Although the project falls under the supervision of DOT, Payne said that he believes he should serve as a liaison between the contractor and the town to ensure that the needs of both groups are met.
Payne said that he was satisfied with the information he learned from the contractors at Monday's meeting.
“(DLB, Inc.) seemed very well versed on project... I was very pleased with their professionalism and the responses I received,” said Payne.
While unsure of whether DLB, Inc. will only be moving in equipment or actually beginning to take down the Hugh Chatham Bridge as of the first day its contract takes effect, August 9, Payne said that Elkin residents should not expect to see “a major disruption of services of any sort” in the near future.
What Elkin residents can expect to see over the course of the coming year, however, will be entirely different.
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