ELIZABETHTOWN — Work to replace the twin U.S. 701 bridges over the Cape Fear River in Bladen County is scheduled to begin Oct. 26.

The N.C. Department of Transportation awarded a $23.3 million contract to Smith-Rowe LLC of Mount Airy, which will replace the northbound and southbound bridges with a single, four-lane structure over the Cape Fear River. The new bridge will include 8-foot shoulders on each side to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.

Smith-Rowe was a lowest responsive bidder after bids were opened this past week, according to NCDOT.

In an earlier, separate contract, Smith-Rowe began in August demolishing the northbound bridge, which was closed in 2019 because of damage caused by hurricane floodwaters, according to the state agency. Drivers are now using the southbound bridge in a two-way traffic pattern.

Smith-Rowe will be required to maintain two-way traffic while building the new bridge in a technique known as phased construction, according to NCDOT. When half of the new structure is built, traffic will be shifted on it from the southbound bridge, so it also can be demolished. This process will allow the new bridge to be completed.

The contract’s completion date is May 2024, when all lanes are scheduled to be opened to traffic.

“It’s a complex project to maintain traffic while we build what will be a very large bridge, so people will see construction activity for the next three and a half years,” said Ken Clark, the department’s Division 6 district engineer based in Whiteville.

Replacing both bridges with a single structure will reduce maintenance costs and lower the risk of damage by future flooding, according to NCDOT. Because of the emergency need to replace the bridges after they sustained flood damage, the Federal Highway Administration will pay 80% of the construction cost, with the NCDOT’s highway trust fund covering the rest.