Neuse River Bridge

The Neuse River Bridge carries U.S. 17 across the Neuse River in New Bern, North Carolina. Designed as a conventional system utilizing structural lightweight concrete decks on normal weight AASHTO beams, it was the largest bridge contract ever offered by the State of North Carolina at the time of its letting.

The project site is bordered by New Bern’s historic district to the south and sensitive wetlands to the north, making alignment selection especially challenging. As a result, interchanges with acceleration and deceleration lanes were constructed as elevated structures over the river, increasing structural demands and overall project complexity.

Structural lightweight concrete made with Stalite Lightweight Aggregate was used in the bridge decks to reduce dead load while maintaining a 4,500 psi compressive strength and a maximum air-dried equilibrium density of 115 pcf. The reduced weight helped optimize beam performance and improve long-term durability in this marine environment.