By Lloyd Vinson

News Intern

AHOSKIE – Is change always a good thing?

Many residents living along the Hertford and Northampton County border have been forced from their usual route around the area. Construction on a small bridge located on Menola-St. Johns Road has that typically busy two-lane strip of asphalt blocked off between Woodland and Ahoskie. Travelers are now forced to take back roads and find alternate ways to reach their destinations.

According to one local resident, the roadblock itself is not the main issue.

“They don’t have any detour signs. I don’t mind them rebuilding the bridge for safety purposes. I just think that the Department of Transportation should have put detour signs on each end that road, stated the Hertford County resident.

Another frequent traveler of the Menola-St. Johns Road describes the rebuilding of the bridge as a “major inconvenience.”  The traveler says she has found her own detours which entails using Benthall Bridge Road, adding about 20 minutes to an already 20-minute drive.

Whether convenient or inconvenient, the bridge, built in 1940 over the Cutawhiskie Creek, is due for mandatory reconstruction. An employee for the TA Loving Company says that a water line located under the bridge may make the rebuilding a bit longer than initially expected.

“Hopefully the state will take action and remove it, so we can speed up the process,” he said.

TALCO has been working diligently on the project since last Wednesday, and the reconstruction should be completed in a minimum of four months. At which time, residents traveling over the Cutawhiskie Creek can return to their normal route, and saving time and gas.