The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1957-04-12
ANOTHER $45, 900 GOING TO
BE SPENT ON NEW BRIDGE
EVEN BEFORE DEDICATION
Low Bid For Repairs $44.552.85 Submitted This
Week BY Loving Company. Builders of The
Bridge. to Repair Damage Done by Grain
Barge Feb. 20. Six Days After Completion.


In only six days after it was
turned over to the State by the
contractors, the new Croatan
Sound bridge, which cost nearly
three million dollars was damaged
by a grain barge which swung
around side against it during a
storm, and it's going to cost $45,-
900 to repair it.
This week the State Highway
Commission received bids for re-
pairing the bridge, a job which
most likely will never be finished
before the day of dedication, and
the lowest bid submitted was by
7, A. Loving Co., the firm which
built it, and by reason thereof most
likely best qualified. for the job.
The Loving Company's bid was
$44,552.85.
There are many who believe that
the damage to the bridge is the
result of the parsimony of the
Highway Commission in not per-
hitting a draw in the bridge, and
that had such draw been installed
the bridge could have been opened,
and the vessel would not have
slowed down to such slow crawl
which contributed to stailing of a
motor, whereby control was lost by
the vessels skipper. The vessel
was the former Coast Guard cut
ter Pam1ico, now converted into a
grain barge.
When hearings were held by War
Department on the elimination of
the draw, no citizens appeared to
protest, so anxious was everyone
to get the bridge built, and so fear
full they would lose IL, as intinaa-
ton had been made that draw
would run the cost up some $780,
900, and perhaps prevent construc-
ton.
According to Chief Engineer
w. H. Rogers, traffic is us
ing the three-mile long bridge
in safety despite the extensive
damage. However, through the
damaged section, traffic is one
way, Rogers said. There is
not enough time for the repairs
to be completed before the bridge
is formally dedicated April 25, as
the William B: Umstead Memorial
Bridge, he added.
During heavy rain storm, the
147-foot-long. 80 food wide &c. w.
Curlet," a 356-gross ton freight
boat owned by the Norris Grain
Company of Baltimore, Maryland,
rammed the new bridge on the
north side about $50 feet west of
the 130-foot long navigational
channel span which has 45-foot
high vertical clearance and an 30
foot wide horizontal clearance for
passage of boats.
The high winds and tide COM
bined to hold the boat against the
bridge where it thrashed back and
forth damaging the substructure of
the bridge. After struggling for
more than three hours, the boat
captain was finally able to pass
his boat under the bridge-but sew
eral spans away from the higher
clearing channel navigational span.
The special letting calls for re-
building one pile section, repairing
three cracked concrete caps, and
repairing II scuffed footings.
No small engineering feat, the
handsome new bridge was under
construction for over two years.
Pre-cast concrete piles were ferried
out to the construction site where
they We're driven and then topped
by concrete caps. Steel I-beams
were used in the superstructure to
supper tthe concrete deck. The
channel span is the thru-girder
type.
In May, 1856, while the bridge
was still under construction, a fire
of unknown origin broke out early
one morning on the concrete deck
and damaged the concrete. At that
time, the contractor had to remove
and patch 26 areas of concrete
ranging in size from six inches
i to 81 X 9-feet.
AS if that weren't enough, last
August 90, lightning struck the
portable field office for engineering
personnel and slightly injured two
of the highway engineers and two
of the contractors men, as well as
destroying two levels and two
transits, which were used in sur
veying.
+ Before the freight boat rammed
and damaged the bridge, it cost,
| 81, 649, 1888, including the con-
tract cost and the engineering fees.
The 14-265-foot long bridge with
| it's 24-foot wide roadway clearance
was built by t. A. Loving q Co.
| Of Goldsboro.