I-85 Yadkin River Bridge (1955)
**This short essay was written before the bridge was replaced in the 2010s. Therefore, the analysis is outdated.**
While there are a number of more worthy candidates, this bridge today has the distinction of being the most famous bridge in North Carolina. Though many other bridges cross the Yadkin River, it is known as "The Yadkin River Bridge." The reasons for this, naturally, have resulted from the campaign to secure funding for its replacement. The four-lane 1955 structure is considered well over capacity, with 60,000 vehicles per day pounding their way across its deck on the southeast's most important transportation artery. The lack of shoulders on the span, combined with heavy truck traffic, make it a dangerous crossing. When accidents do occur, the bridge is effectively blocked off, forcing traffic onto the scant alternate routes. At the same time, the bridge is not a "ticking time bomb" structurally, despite the connections transportation officials attempt to draw with the I-35W Bridge. It is not a fracture critical bridge, meaning that one span or pier failing while not send the whole thing crashing down. The replacement bridge will probably be a similar steel stringer structure, albeit with few piers.
The current plan is to replace the bridge with an eight-lane structure on a new alignment that will bypass the dangerous curve on east bank. Eight lanes seems like somewhat of an overkill in a non-urban area; however, it is probably for the best that NCDOT is planning for future needs. At the same time, I really would have rather seen them made use of the existing right-of-way, as opposed to tearing up more land for highway construction.
The bridge is notable for having been built during North Carolina's early development of its statewide freeway system. The structure was built in 1955 for a US 29/70 freeway that ran from just north of the river (today's exit 83 to NC 150) to China Grove (exit 68). This was one year before the passage of the Interstate Highway Act. Thus, North Carolina had begun work on its Interstate system before the availability of 90% federal funding. This contrasts with other southeastern states, which did not commence work on non-urban freeways until the late 1950s-1960s. This soon-to-be-gone bridge is one of the best representations of that period. The bridge's lack of shoulders and the dangerous curve beyond show that the highway was built far below even early Interstate Highway standards.
Facts
- Year erected: 1955
- Routes Carried: I-85 and US 52
- Crosses: Yadkin River (High Rock Lake)
- Location: Davidson and Rowan Counties, NC.
- Design: Steel stringer
- Inside width: 54 ft., four lanes
- Total length: 882.9 ft., 11 spans
- AADT: 59,000
- Sufficiency Rating 33.9%
- National Bridge Inventory ID: 1590137
- Coordinates: 35°43'15.47"N, 80°23'25.63"W