RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A new flyover bridge in Raleigh, North Carolina, is getting some attention for all of the wrong reasons.
A concerned driver thought the wall holding up the new flyover bridge where I-40 and I-440 meet is slightly leaning.
Marty Homan, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, said it appears to be leaning because the wall is on a curve and presents a bit of an illusion.
“The wall has been inspected several times over the last year, and we have found no issues to date,” said Homan.
Robert Bullock, a resident engineer overseeing the I-40 widening project, said they did hear from three or four people over the last year about the bridge, but stressed it is safe for drivers to drive over and under.
“We continue to monitor it like we do a lot of the walls to make sure we don’t have any issues,” said Bullock.
He said between the wall being built on a slight curve, the roadway itself on a curve, and the structure being so tall, there are two or three visuals going on to make it look like it may be leaning a certain way or curving more than it should.
“The first part of the wall, sort of the wings area, the part as you are coming up, the contractor did build it a little straighter, so there is a slight turn some people notice, but other than that, that’s what creates some of that illusion, a visualization as of why it may seem to lean forward,” said Bullock.
