RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Transportation will close the U.S. 29/70 bridge over the Yadkin River between Davidson and Rowan counties to traffic on Monday to replace it with a safer, more modern bridge.
The U.S. 29/70 bridge is one of eight bridges that crews will replace as part of phase one of the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project. Phase one also includes reconstructing the N.C. 150 interchange and widening I-85 from four lanes to eight lanes from Long Ferry Road (Exit 81) to just north of the N.C. 150 interchange.
NCDOT will close the bridge at 8 a.m. and put detour routes in place. 
Traffic traveling southbound on U.S. 29/70 will take Old Salisbury Road and cross over the Yadkin River on the historic Wil-Cox Bridge, which crews rehabilitated last year.
Drivers traveling northbound from Spencer on U.S. 29/70 will follow Andrews Street to Old Union Church Road to I-85, or they can take U.S. 29/70 to Long Ferry Road to access I-85.
In addition to closing the bridge, NCDOT will also close the entrance ramp from U.S. 29/70 to I-85. While these closures are in place, the department urges motorists to slow down, pay attention and allow extra time to reach their destinations.
The U.S. 29/70 bridge was built in 1951 and has a sufficiency rating of 20 out of 100. That does not mean the bridge is unsafe. It means the bridge was not built to modern design standards and does not efficiently accommodate today’s traffic levels. 
Upon closing the bridge, crews will demolish it and build the new bridge in its place. Construction is scheduled to be complete by fall 2013.
For more information about the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project, visit www.i-85yadkinriver.com or follow NCDOT’s I-85 Twitter feed, https://twitter.com/NCDOT_I85.
Live traffic camera feeds are also available on the Post’s website at http://www.salisburypost.com/traffic-cameras/