CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — What is hanging below multiple bridges which line I-77 in Charlotte?
That was the question a viewer posed to Queen City News Monday afternoon after they traveled I-77 through the 277 interchange.
The viewer shared images with Queen City News, taken at the Brookshire Freeway bridge over I-77, which showed something that appeared to sag.
The viewer said that, to them, it appeared as if the bridge itself was on the verge of collapsing.
Queen City News contacted NCDOT with the photographic evidence to get better clarification.
Jen Thompson, with NCDOT, stressed that this is not a sign that the bridge is on the verge of failure, but rather an extremely common safety measure taken during bridge repairs.
“That viewer does not need to be concerned. No one needs to be concerned about any anything,” she stressed. “The structure is not compromised in any way. The structure is completely sound. If there were any problem with any of our bridges, we would close them immediately.”
The part that was seen sagging is not the bridge, but a containment system put in place by the contractor to minimize the risk of equipment falling on vehicles below during renovations.
“They put that material down as a catch-all, so if anything is going to potentially come loose or fall during the time that the contractors are out there, it will not go down to the road below,” Thompson explained.
The bridge repairs on the Brookshire Freeway bridge are one of nine project sites attached to a nearly $14 million project package that NCDOT has begun.
Bridges along the I-77 and 277 interchange are getting routine maintenance.
Thompson stressed that this will be a common site as construction continues until 2025.
