EMERALD ISLE – A state highway contractor is to begin Sunday instituting daytime lane closures on weekdays on the two-lane Emerald Isle bridge on N.C. 58 for the ongoing bridge preservation project.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that the contractor is to follow the following schedule for lane closures on the B. Cameron Langston Bridge until March 31, when the project is scheduled to be completed:

• Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Saturday and Sunday, potentially all day and night.

The contractor may elect to work either Saturday or Sunday, or both days, on the weekends, officials said. The contractor in September resumed the rehabilitation work under nighttime lane closures.

Drivers should proceed cautiously over the bridge and expect possible delays.

As with most highway contracts, there will be no lane closures on the bridge during the holiday periods of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. The exact dates when there will be no closures over the upcoming holidays are listed at this DriveNC.gov webpage.

When a lane is closed, flagging operations will be used to allow traffic from each direction to take turns crossing the bridge, so drivers should expect delays and proceed cautiously in the work zone.

Starting Tuesday night through the spring, motorists traveling the B. Cameron Langston Bridge in Emerald Isle should expect lane closures while rehabilitation work takes place.

NCDOT began work to extend the life of the 1971 bridge in late 2019. The work has required long periods of lane closures and travel disruptions. NCDOT pauses the work and lane closures for holidays and the busy season. The most recent work wrapped up May 20.

The project is to resume this week, and is expected to be complete by next spring, officials said Tuesday.

A contractor for the North Carolina Department of Transportation will be allowed to close one of the bridge’s two lanes at 9 p.m. and be required to reopen the lane by 6 a.m. the following day, seven days a week. This schedule will be followed through Oct. 30.

No lane closures will take place Sept. 23-24 and Oct. 21-22 for special events. Rain could postpone a nightly lane closure.

Beginning Nov. 1, the schedule for lane closures until spring 2023 will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, there will be 24-hour lane closures.

Lanes will not be closed on the bridge during the holiday periods of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.

When a lane is closed, flagging operations will be used to allow traffic from each direction to take turns crossing the bridge, so drivers should expect delays and proceed cautiously in the work zone.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

Work to extend the lifespan of the B. Cameron Langston Bridge connecting Emerald Isle to the mainland resumed Monday, and motorists should expect delays because the ongoing project requires nighttime lane closures.

The work, anticipated to continue through May, is part of a project begun last year to preserve the bridge against the harsh saltwater environment, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Motorists should expect a lane closure between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Monday through Friday. Lane closures may also take place on Saturday or Sunday night if work during the week is delayed due to weather. Contractors are to employ flaggers at the ends of the work zone to direct traffic.

The department said it would announce regular updates as the schedule is expected to vary.

While a lane may not always be closed during the permitted times, drivers should anticipate this pattern and plan ahead as their commute may take longer than normal. NCDOT urges drivers to also use caution and remain alert around the bridge.

All questions and comments about the project should be directed to NCDOT, and can be sent to Lauren Haviland at lbhaviland@ncdot.gov. 

Traffic on the Emerald Isle bridge is reduced to a single lane at night as the structure is repaired.

The work began Sunday night and North Carolina Department of Transportation is closing one lane of the Cameron Langston Bridge at 7 p.m. and reopening it at 6 a.m. each night through Thursday.

The work includes repairing the bridge seats, on which the girders rest. The repairs were already scheduled for this year but were moved up after a recent inspection.

Flaggers are to be at the ends of the bridge directing traffic. Drivers should use caution near crews and the work zone and plan ahead as their commute may take longer than normal, according to NCDOT.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

The hopper dredge Liberty Island is on schedule to arrive in Emerald Isle Feb. 20 to begin dredging, holding, sailing and pumping sand on the beach at Reach 1, the far west of the Carteret County beach town, as part of Phase III of the post-Florence Renourishment Project.

The Liberty Island will complete Reach 1 and then move west to east to reaches 3, 4 and 5, through central and east Emerald Isle, according to the most recent project update from Greg Rudolph with the Carteret County Shore Protection office.

It is anticipated that more than 2 million cubic yards of sand from the Offshore Dredged Material Disposal Site, or ODMDS, associated with Morehead City Federal Navigation Project, will be used to nourish 9.4 miles of beach in Emerald Isle for Phase III.

The larger-capacity dredge, the Ellis Island, could arrive as late as April 1 but officials are working to have the dredge arrive sooner. If both dredges are working at the same time, the project could be completed before the April 30 environmental window closes for sea turtle nesting season and other biological resources.

The Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has been awarded the dredging contract. Phase III is similar to Phase I in 2019 and Phase II in 2020.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock set the first submerged pipeline, or subline, in Reach 1 on Jan. 19. Sand will be pumped through this subline once the hopper dredge Liberty Island arrives. Pipe will be added to this subline to pump sand west, then east from the subline landing point at the Point Emerald Villas/Lands End boundary. On Jan. 24, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock placed the second submerged pipeline just west of Bogue Inlet Pier in Reach 3.

Dates for the work to begin was pushed back a handful of times from the end of January, to Feb. 12 and now to Feb. 20. The Liberty Island and Ellis Island are working in Florida and Charleston, South Carolina, respectively and have been trying to complete their work at these jobs while also encountering COVID-related issues both at sea and on land, according to the county.

Emerald Isle commissioners have selected Matthew R. “Matt” Zapp as the new town manager, officials announced Wednesday.

Zapp, currently town manager in Benson where he has served since 2010, is expected to take the position effective mid-June, subject to formal appointment and approval of terms of employment in an open board meeting, officials said in the announcement. Zapp was selected from a field of 89 candidates.

Mayor Eddie Barber described Zapp as an experienced and resourceful local government manager. “We are particularly impressed with his active involvement in his current community and success in securing and administering grant funds for community projects and services, and his experience with technological innovation, emergency management, economic development and tourism marketing,” Barber said.

Zapp worked previously as village administrator of Madison Village, Ohio, and as a parks and recreation director. Prior to that he worked as a drag racing track manager and a business marketing manager.

“I am truly humbled to be selected as the next Town Manager for Emerald Isle,” said Zapp. “It is my desire to serve the residents, staff and elected officials with excellence. A kindness can be felt throughout the community and I look forward to contributing to the culture of’ ‘Nice Matters.’ My entire family is thrilled about the journey ahead and we cannot wait to call Emerald Isle home.”

Zapp earned a master’s of public administration with a concentration in coastal management from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Akron. He is a graduate of the Public Executive Leadership Academy and the Municipal and County Administration program at the University of North Carolina School of Government. He is a current board member of ElectriCities of North Carolina, the N.C. Eastern Municipal Power Agency and the Johnston County Visitors Bureau.

A native of Madison, Ohio, Zapp grew up on the shores of Lake Erie. He and wife Haley and their children reside in Benson where he is active in their church and serves as a baseball and soccer coach. His hobbies include running, drag racing and event announcing, and restoring old cars.

Zapp succeeds Frank Rush, who resigned late last year to accept a position as city manager in South Lake Tahoe, California.

“We thank Frank Rush for his dedicated service to our citizens and his many remarkable achievements,” said Barber. “He led our Town staff with great professionalism for 17 years, and he is highly respected across North Carolina. We also thank Randy Martin, who is serving our citizens well as Interim Town Manager. Our new Town Manager will find that Frank and Randy left the administration and finances in very sound condition, with the assistance of our excellent Town staff.”