North Carolina Bridges – Mar. 22-28, 2026

Our group this week came from Hartville, Ohio, a mature group of men who were willing to work hard and complete the job. This is the week we’re closing the project for the spring season, so we were trying to leave nothing undone. Unlike last week, when we had rain and very cool weather, we were mostly able to stay dry, except for those who were cleaning out a culvert! Oh my, that was a piece of work! Our backhoe operator was a bit skeptical when he saw the word “Bobcat” on the machine, but after using it, he liked it.

We started the week by finishing the curbing at the Allison site and removing the temporary culvert. Cleaning up, placing some rocks, and fixing the bridge approach were completed.

We dug the holes for the pier at Vinne’s, which will be for a walking bridge across the creek. The forms were placed, and the concrete is completed. The actual bridge will be installed when the project opens up in early June.

There was a ditch to be cleaned out, and the backhoe operator enjoyed playing in the dirt, very similar to last week’s operator! There must be something special about those machines!

Dedications are always a special time to build community, and we were able to have two this week, one at Red Turn Drive and the other at the Kerber Bridge. These events are so encouraging for the recipients and the volunteers.

From the long-term team: Clete, Gregg, Betty and Willy