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NCDOT outlines bridge, US 220 and resurfacing plans for Rockingham County
Summary
NCDOT Division 7 engineers updated the Rockingham County Board on multiple bridge replacements and the start of preliminary engineering on US 220, including a $2 million allocation for environmental work and a large multi‑billion-dollar eventual buildout concept; resurfacing and preservation lists for 2025–27 were also presented.
Wright Archer, Division Engineer for NCDOT’s Division 7, told the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 20 that several bridge replacement projects and corridor studies are under way across the county.
Archer described the Barnes Street project over US 29 as a bridge replacement and widening to five lanes with sidewalks on both sides and pier placement set back to accommodate a future I‑785 corridor. Archer said the project also will include ramp improvements; he gave an anticipated completion month of November but did not specify a year. "We are setting those bridge piers back to accommodate that to the future I 785 corridor," Archer said.
The presentation covered a cluster of projects: Lindsay Bridge Road in Madison (a complex structure over water and a railroad, with an expected completion in June 2028), NC 135 over US 220 (new structure built to the north while keeping traffic on the existing bridge, with visible work projected to begin when weather permits and a November 2028 completion target), and smaller bridge projects including Island Drive (accepted after final inspection), Estes Road (anticipated October 2026), and Hogans Creek (targeted for 2028 updates).
Archer said the division has started preliminary engineering on US 220 and received $2,000,000 in preliminary engineering funds to begin environmental documentation that will cover the corridor from near the Guilford County line to the Virginia line. "That allows us to start that environmental document," he said, adding that the full corridor concept could amount to billions of dollars and therefore will be broken into fundable segments.
On pavement preservation and resurfacing, Archer reported about 28 miles planned for resurfacing in 2025 and nearly 79 miles carrying forward from the prior year for preservation work. For the 2026–27 construction season, he said DOT projects roughly 24 miles of resurfacing and about 40 miles of pavement preservation and offered board members a road‑by‑road handout.
Board members pressed officials on two recurring themes: what 'preservation' means and how residents can influence which projects get funded. Archer said preservation is a multi‑lift treatment with stone and asphalt topped by a fog seal typically used on lower‑volume roads, not full plant‑mix asphalt, and that DOT solicits public input during public information phases and advertised hearings once preliminary engineering refines a project. Archer and other DOT representatives encouraged residents and local officials to participate in public meetings and to engage with MPO/RPO processes that feed project scoring.
DOT officials also told the board they are preparing for an expected major winter storm, have near‑full salt supplies and mutual‑aid plans, and directed residents to DriveNC (ncdot.gov/DriveNC) for up‑to‑date traffic information.
Next steps: DOT said it will proceed with the preliminary engineering schedule (a meeting and public outreach were identified around Feb. 20 in the presentation), continue refining environmental documents and return to the board with follow‑up details and outreach dates.
