Work remains stalled on construction of new Castle Bridge

The big sign sits on the right side of the road at the top of the hill just as Malcolm Boulevard begins its slide down to Lake Rhodhiss in Rutherford College.

Placed there early last autumn, about eight months ago, by the N.C. Department of Transportation, it blinks the same two messages over and over again.

“Road Work Ahead.”

“Use Caution.”

Trouble is, there is no road work ahead.

Work on construction of a new Castle Bridge had barely begun when it ended abruptly. Just a few trees cleared on the south side of the lake, just a tiny bit of grading on the north.

And despite the warning from that sign at the top of the hill, nothing has been done since.

The Paper first asked about the halt in construction back in early January, more than four months ago.

At that time, M.B. Houck, assistant resident engineer with the N.C. DOT, explained the lake level on Lake Rhodhiss was not high enough to meet environmental standards for the use of large barges necessary in the construction process.

Houck added that the DOT was talking with Duke Energy about perhaps raising the water level or seeing if some of the environmental studies needed to be redone to reflect the lowered state of the lake.

Once these issues were resolved, Houck said, “I would expect fairly rapid progress.”

Four months later, however, no progress has been noted and The Paper again asked what is causing the delay.

David Uchiyama, chief information officer for the Western District of the DOT, responded with a brief written statement:

“Early site preparation work for the Castle Bridge project started in the fall of 2025, but operations were paused to obtain additional permitting.

“The water surface elevation in the original permit application did not match field conditions causing significant constructability issues.{/div}

“NCDOT has been coordinating with regulatory agencies to address the issues, which has resulted in a re-application of the required permit. That standard process is expected to be completed early next year.

“Drivers will not notice any difference in their commute before or during construction. Motorists will utilize the existing bridge when crews are building the new one. Like the current configuration, the new bridge will also have one lane in each direction plus a multi-use path.”

Seeking further clarification about the permitting process, The Paper contacted Duke Energy, which responded with a written response from spokesperson Bill Norton.

“Duke Energy is helping N.C. DOT work through approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) since their bridge work takes place withing FERC’s project boundary at Lake Rhodhiss.

“N.C. DOT received FERC approval in April for work involving a temporary pad near Castle Bridge Marina — the pad is needed to access a barge used for construction and demolition of the old bridge. Unfortunately, because of the drought, there is no longer enough water for the barge to reach the work pad.

“N.C. DOT asked to replace the pad with a temporary work bridge that would extend further into the lake. Doing so requires N.C. DOT to submit a revised proposal for FERC approval — Duke Energy is helping N.C. DOT on this revision.”

The Paper also tried unsuccessfully to reach Larry Davis, owner of Castle Bridge Marina on the north side of the lake.

Davis has said previously he would like to make a number of improvements to the marina, including the possibility of adding a restaurant and brewery, but that those plans are on hold until DOT completes its work.

The new bridge will be built just west — upstream — of the current structure. It will be built to modern standards with one 12-foot lane in each direction. The new bridge will also have a protected 10-foot lane for use by walkers and bikers.

Once the new bridge is completed and traffic is shifted, the old bridge and its supporting piers will be demolished.

The contractor for the project is the Wilmington-based company, Balfour Beatty Construction. The project is expected to cost around $32 million, which includes the cost of construction of the new bridge and removing the old one.

The replacement is part of the broader R-3430 corridor project, which aims to improve roughly 10 miles of Malcolm Boulevard/Connelly Springs Road from U.S. 70 in Burke County to Southwest Boulevard in Caldwell County. While only the Castle Bridge section is currently funded, the plan leaves room for a separate northbound bridge to be added in the future if traffic demands require it.

Castle Bridge is one of the busiest bridges in the area. Connelly Springs Road is utilized by many southern Caldwell County residents as the quickest route to Interstate 40, while many central Burke County residents cross the bridge enroute to the Ingles Market in Baton and to the popular Orchard Hills Golf Club.