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Construction work to preserve the Ray S. Brook Bridge in Bath is expected to begin in March, if the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) receives a permit from the U.S. Coast Guard in February. 

NCDOT anticipates the project will take several months to complete. 

“The preliminary duration of the work for Bath Creek Bridge is approximately two months. The goal is to have the work completed and open for traffic before Memorial Day 2024,” Lauren Haviland, a communications officer for NCDOT wrote in an email to the Daily News. 

The timeline is contingent upon if and when the department receives a permit from the Coast Guard. 

Drivers going to and from Bath will take Jackson Swamp Road, Post Road, Boyd Road and U.S. Highway 264. 

The project will replace a span, or a portion of the 2.1 mile long bridge – not the whole bridge. A concrete span will be removed and replaced. According to a public notice from the U.S. Coast Guard, the purpose of the project is to remove weight restrictions on the 64-year-old bridge and replacing the span will add to the bridge’s longevity. 

There will be barge/crane activity in the waterway during demolition and construction, per the public notice.