Public records obtained by The Carolina Journal show Lake Lure is advancing plans to replace its century-old dam while confronting bridge delays, property questions, utility relocations, federal reimbursement disputes, and preliminary construction estimates reaching $174 million.
At the July 22 town council work session meeting, Brendan Stepik, project manager with the town’s contractor, Schnabel Engineering, presented an update on the Lake Lure Replacement Dam Project. He said the project “has progressed through the alternatives analysis and conceptual design phases and is now completing preliminary (30%) design.”
Bridge delay intersects with dam construction
Council members discussed the relationship between the replacement dam and the planned North Carolina Department of Transportation bridge replacement.
The minutes said council members “expressed concern that construction of the replacement dam will require significant use and periodic control of the existing one-lane bridge crossing, making timely replacement of the bridge increasingly important.”…