The contract also covers replacement of other bridges carrying road and rail, including the one that carries the US 29/70 North road over the river.

Construction is expected to begin in October, with completion set for January 2013, which is about eight months earlier than NCDOT had originally anticipated.

NCDOT had budgeted US$180 million for this first phase but the bids came in considerably lower. The savings will allow bond funding to be allocated to other projects. Flatiron-Lane was not the lowest bidder but innovations in its technical proposal were among the reasons why it was deemed to provide the best value.