Hickory highway closed after another issue with pedestrian bridge

HICKORY, N.C. — Highway 127 North is shut down in downtown Hickory because of another issue with the pedestrian bridge above it.

It comes three years after the arches on that bridge collapsed. They were never replaced.

The city said the highway and the bridge could be closed for two weeks.

The concern is that the concrete beneath the walkway could fall onto the four-lane highway below.

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Mike Jolly and his wife exercise on the Hickory City Walk about every day. They had no idea a crack had begun to appear in the concrete underneath the pedestrian bridge that crosses Highway 127.

“That’s a problem,” Jolly said. “That’s a real problem for us. That’s a problem everyone in the county that has to travel down 127.”

The mayor said the director of Public Works spotted the problem Wednesday morning, and before lunch time, the city announced Highway 127 would close in both directions.

Mayor Hank Guess said the steel beams holding up the walkway are in good shape. He believes the falling concrete may be a cosmetic problem, but the city isn’t taking any chances.

“This is concrete that is put on top of the steel beams, and we’ve noticed some of it has peeled off,” Guess said. “And that has fallen, and that’s what our concern is.”

The pedestrian bridge got nationwide attention in 2022 when the centerpiece of the walkway on the Hickory Arches crashed onto the bridge and Main Avenue Northeast.

A family from New York that is visiting their daughter at Lenoir-Rhyne University hopes Hickory gets the bridge fixed and Highway 127 is reopened.

“Well, we wanted to walk it because it looks quite beautiful, but I guess we’re not going to be able to do that today,” said Dianna Evans, a visitor.

The mayor said an engineering firm would be out as early as Thursday.  The entire city walk cost $14.7 million. There is no word yet on what the repairs will cost the city.

The city of Hickory sued after the arches collapsed and received a $1.3 million settlement.

It came from the company that repaired and inspected the arches along with its chief engineer.

VIDEO: City of Hickory to get $1.3M settlement over collapsed arches

City of Hickory to get $1.3M settlement over collapsed arches

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