Detour traffic along one stretch of road in Lenoir County has one resident calling it “the new 58.”
Patricia Jones, who lives on E.N. Dickerson Road, said a bridge being replaced on N.C. 58 North has increased traffic in front of her house.
“It’s just that I noticed the traffic has really picked up,” she said about her road, which is usually quiet.
The bridge sits between Taylor Heath and Hugo roads, and the route takes a 5-mile detour along those two side roads. E.N. Dickerson Road cuts across from one to the other.
Jones said at first traffic was heavy on Taylor Heath, which is close to her house. But as drivers became aware of the shortcut, the traffic increased in front of her house.
The 18-wheel truck drivers eventually caught on, too, and pot holes began springing up on her road, she said.
“They’re out here every week,” she said about the N.C. Department of Transportation making repairs to the holes.
Completion of the bridge over Stoneyton Creek — closed since Sept. 3 — has been delayed from Dec. 31 to Jan. 4, said Paul Vorwerk, assistant resident and project manager for DOT’s New Bern construction unit.
“There was an old concrete road underneath that we didn’t know was there and it had to be removed,” Vorwerk said. “So that kind of added a few days to it.”
Vorwerk said it might have been the original bridge, which was built in 1938.
The new bridge, nearly 37 feet wide, is made of concrete and allows about 6.5 feet of shoulder on each side, he said.
The reason for using concrete is the heavy traffic on N.C. 58, Vorwerk said.
“This is not going to be your typical asphalt,” he said.
What’s left is putting up the guardrails, grading and seeding the slopes and grading and asphalting the sections of road on either end of the bridge.
When the road is asphalted will depend on when there is dry and warmer weather.
“They’ve got until Jan. 4 to get this contract complete,” Vorwerk said.
Crossroads Store and Grill sits at the point on the detour where Taylor Heath and Hugo roads meet. Employee Eric Johnson said the increased traffic hasn’t brought in more business, but it has taken more of his time.
“Most of the traffic I see are (people) asking for directions,” he said.
Chris Gwaltney, who lives on Taylor Heath Road, said he’s seen a little more traffic. But most vehicles are cutting across E.N. Dickerson Road, which is what he said he does when he’s heading toward the Plaza or downtown.
Larry Kohout of Wilson said he does odd jobs for a friend on Hugo Road almost daily. His only complaint is that Taylor Heath Road seems too narrow a road when passing an 18-wheeler.
“It’s not an inconvenience for me at all,” he said about taking the detour.
For those traveling back and forth from Kinston to Greene County, the route along Felix Harvey Parkway and Spirit AeroSystems is about 2.5 miles, but there are several sharp curves.
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.