CHARLOTTE – Hurricane Florence passed through some of the southeastern counties in the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division 10, leaving more than 120 roads closed after the storm’s exit.
More than half of the closures were in Anson County, followed by Stanly and Union counties with the most roads affected. The division also includes Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties.
As of the morning of Oct. 2, one primary road and 28 secondary roads remain closed in the division. Crews are repairing a section of N.C. 218 between Fish Road and Holly School Road in Union County, where the westbound travel lane was severely undermined by Florence. Repairs are anticipated to wrap up by mid-October.
All of the 28 damaged secondary roads have a repair plan, ranging from shoulder repairs to pipe replacements. Nineteen roads are being repaired under emergency contracts, with the remaining nine being fixed by NCDOT crews.
Employees from neighboring areas are also helping out. Nineteen employees from Division 9 (Winston-Salem area) brought 22 pieces of equipment such as dump trucks, backhoes, excavators and skid steers to help with hauling operations and pipe replacements. A bridge maintenance crew from Division 12 (counties west and north of Charlotte) is helping repair some low-water bridges, clear debris and replace wooden rails.
All roads are estimated to be finished by early November.