BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. —

A new bridge for the Blue Ridge Parkway in Buncombe County, North Carolina, is about to open its first lane to traffic as the project nears completion.

North Carolina Department of Transportation engineers said the 605-foot-long bridge towers about 90 feet above Interstate 26 north of Asheville Regional Airport and is necessary to continue widening the interstate.

"This is a very exciting milestone for us," engineer Luke Middleton said. "By the end of next week, the goal is to have traffic in both lanes on this new bridge."

Middleton said the bridge cost about $14.5 million to build and is part of the much larger widening of I-26 in western North Carolina.

"Without putting traffic on the new bridge, we can't tear down the old bridge," Middleton said. "Without t

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