RAEFORD — Work gets under way Tuesday on the replacement of the 65-year-old bridge on U.S. 401 over the Lumber River between Raeford and Wagram. The Tara Group of Lumberton was awarded a $2.6 million contract for the project.

The bridge at the Hoke-Scotland County line is considered functionally obsolete, which means while it is safe, it was not built to current design standards and is unable to properly handle the volume of traffic it now carries. This, according to information supplied by the state transportation department.

Initially the work will involve the clearing of land for a temporary bridge that will be built parallel to the current bridge. It will handle traffic during the project so drivers won’t need to use a detour route. There could be some traffic stoppages for short intervals this week so crews can safely cut down some trees adjacent to the roadway. 

The new bridge should be in place by Nov. 15, 2014. Additional planting and vegetation work can take until May 14, 2015.