Replacing bridge means 18 months of detours on busy Charlotte road, NCDOT says
Pesky maintenance repairs to a bridge deck on a busy Charlotte road revealed safety issues that prompted its closure for a year-and-a-half Tuesday, state highway officials said.
Driver safety was at risk on Shopton Road over Coffey Creek in southwest Charlotte, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.
For $6.8 million, Charlotte-based contractor Blythe Development LLC is replacing the 50-year-old, two-lane bridge. The state awarded the contract in September.
Driver safety prompts bridge replacement
NCDOT planned to close the bridge next month, but accelerated the closure for driver safety after the repairs in recent weeks, officials said.
The bridge will remain closed through summer 2027, according to NCDOT.
Drivers are being detoured onto Steele Creek Road/N.C. 160, Interstate 485 and South Tryon Street/N.C. 49, before returning to Shopton Road.
The new bridge will be 135 feet long, with three 11-foot-lanes and a sidewalk on both sides.
The contract also calls for growing vegetation through early 2028, officials said.
This story was originally published December 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM.