Multimillion dollar Havelock project underway to repair hurricane ruined Woodhaven bridge

Symone Graham, Sun Journal
·2 min read
The multimillion dollar project to fix Woodhaven Drive in Havelock after Hurricane Florence destroyed the road is making progress as of January 2022. The project is expected to be complete by September.
The multimillion dollar project to fix Woodhaven Drive in Havelock after Hurricane Florence destroyed the road is making progress as of January 2022. The project is expected to be complete by September.

A road in Havelock that was dismantled three years ago by Hurricane Florence will finally get an upgrade this year.

The $2.3 million dollar project to replace the crumbled Woodhaven Drive and strengthen the land under it was approved in December 2021 and construction started a few weeks ago, Havelock Mayor William Lewis said. Deadline for completion is September.

Woodhaven was previously a land bridge that was blown out by Hurricane Florence in 2018, Lewis said. That was the second or third time the road was destroyed by a storm, he said.

"The road itself on top of the land bridge got floated up, picked up and banged around," he said. "The road was nonexistent in there. It turned the land bridge into huge piles of dirt and debris."

Woodhaven Drive four days after Hurricane Florence destroyed the road in 2018.
Woodhaven Drive four days after Hurricane Florence destroyed the road in 2018.

The replacement project, which is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will have an added extension of the land bridge that will transform into a free spanning bridge across part of the waterway.

"So it'll go from being a land bridge with a couple pipes through it to an actual open space free floating bridge, which is a very significant construction project," Lewis said.

He said while the road was inoperable, residents who lived in neighborhoods near Woodhaven Drive and major commercial businesses, such as UPS, were at an inconvenience.

The road was a major artery that provided a direct route to U.S. 70, so residents in the area were forced to take a longer route.

Travel to a bank across from the neighborhood turned a half a mile trip into a mile and a half drive for those who relied on the easier route.

"They've been using smaller streets to get in and out while the bridge has been down," Lewis said. "So getting it back open will help them have a more direct route and take some pressure off of our smaller roads that are accepting large trucks right now."

After a bid in November 2021, Trader Construction Company in New Bern received the award as the contractors for the project. The company will also use assistance from subcontractors to get the job done.

Lewis said the construction could be complete as early as July, but it is a necessity to finish the bridge no later than September to ensure the project is fully funded by FEMA. That deadline will remain no matter the weather, he said.

Residents who depended on Woodhaven as a shortcut will soon have the option again, but with an intended stronger foundation.

"Hopefully we will have a more resilient bridge that will survive storms like Hurricane Florence," Lewis said. "All our businesses and residences that are located down there will be able to get back to having a direct route to highway 70."

This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: Woodhaven Drive bridge project in Havelock begins with Sept. deadline