LUMBERTON, N.C. (WBTW) — The Carthage Road bridge over Interstate 95 in Lumberton is scheduled to close next week for demolition and reconstruction, according to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

The bridge is scheduled to close at about 1 p.m. on Feb. 23, NCDOT said. Drivers will continue to be able to get on and off the exit, but cannot cross over the interstate until a new bridge is built and opened by the Fall of 2024.

The detour will rely on the service roads on either side of Interstate 95, directing traffic to use exit 20 in order to cross over the highway.

The bridge is the first of several to be replaced since a project to widen Interstate 95 between exit 13 and just north of mile marker 21 began in September, NCDOT said.

About two months before the road is scheduled to reopen, the contractor will need to temporarily close the on/off ramps to construct roundabouts, according to the release.

The new Carthage Road will be taller, longer and wider, according to the release. NCDOT is also adding two travel lanes in each direction along this eight-mile section of Interstate 95, after it was awarded a $432 million design-and-built contract in 2021.

The department also received a federal $22.5 million grant to help make that section of the interstate more resilient against future flooding.

The new bridge construction is one of several projects under construction to widen Interstate 95 in southeastern North Carolina, NCDOT said. The overall project is expected to be completed by 2026.