Aiken Bridge repairs are complete and all lanes on Central Boulevard are now open for travel.
Bridge repairs began in early May with the closure of the inside or passing lanes, restricting motorists to one lane of travel both northbound and southbound. In early June, the contractor, which was Haymes Brothers Inc. of Chatham, shifted the lane closures to the outside lanes configuration.
The bridge, which was built in 1970 to carry traffic over the Dan River, was scheduled for major rehabilitation. Major bridge repairs generally are due every 20 years. For the Aiken Bridge, the repairs include patching of the deck, replacing expansion joints and applying epoxy sealer to fill cracks.
Last year, the city carried out major repairs to the Central Boulevard bridge over Riverside Drive. Next summer, the city has scheduled major repairs for the bridge over Sandy Creek.
The city maintains 41 bridges. Each bridge is inspected every two years either by a staff engineer or by a private contractor.