Wil-Cox Bridge

The bridge was completed in 1924 at a cost of $212,000, is , and consists of seven open spandrel arch spans. The Wil-Cox Bridge, named for highway commissioners W.E. Wilkinson of Charlotte and Elwood Cox of High Point, A steel girder bridge built in 1951 as a companion to the Wil-Cox Bridge carried the northbound US 29 lanes and eastbound US 70 lanes but was closed in 2012. and were replaced by a new pair of bridges in 2012. As of 2001, the city of Salisbury wanted to see the Wil-Cox Bridge preserved. When the 1951 US 29/US 70 bridge is replaced, this bridge would no longer be used for traffic. Until early 2009, the state was planning to demolish the bridge, but preservationists wanted it saved as a pedestrian bridge, "a regional historical artifact" to become part of a planned greenway system. On April 8, 2010, the NCDOT closed the Wil-Cox Bridge due to safety concerns. Inspectors discovered the problems in December 2008, but the closure of the bridge was expected to take place in a few years once the replacement I-85 bridges were ready. Delays on the I-85 bridges meant these problems became serious enough to require repairs to keep the bridge in service. On July 21, 2010, Pat Ivey of the NCDOT said the bridge would be used as a detour during construction. The NC DOT spent $3 million on repairs. By April 15, 2011, upgrading on the bridge was halfway to completion. A month later, workers were using a technique called "shotcrete", using a hose to spray concrete into those spaces where damaged concrete had been removed. On September 1, 2011, work on Wil-Cox Bridge was complete, allowing the bridge to be used as a detour during replacement of the U.S. 29-70 bridge. The US 29/US 70 bridge built in 1951 closed April 17, 2012, with the new bridge scheduled to open by fall 2013. A portion of the temporary work bridge from the I-85 project was used to build the new bridge. Only cars going south could use the Wil-Cox Bridge until August 2012, when changes were made to allow traffic to go both ways. One-way traffic had a negative effect on businesses in Spencer. As of September 2013, the new bridge was expected to be complete by year end, at which time more repairs were to be made to the old bridge. Traffic moved to the new bridge on February 7, 2014. ==Tourist attraction==

Davidson County commissioners voted unanimously August 25, 2015 to take over the bridge. The state gave Davidson County the $2.5 million that would have been used for demolition, to be used for "preservation activities". Commissioners appointed a steering committee in September to work on attracting tourists. Tourist attractions in the area included Trading Ford and the former site of the Civil War fort Camp Yadkin, also called Fort York, from where General George Stoneman was defeated in the last Confederate victory in North Carolina, when he tried to destroy the important railway bridge across the Yadkin River on April 12, 1865. So it was the location of one of the final military actions of the Civil War. As of September 2013, the Tourism Recreation Investment Partnership for Davidson County Foundation was working on plans for the Wil-Cox Bridge, which was already part of the Daniel Boone Heritage Canoe Trail opened earlier in 2013. The Wil-Cox Bridge/Fort York Steering Committee had its first meeting October 14, 2015. Plans call for a connection to the Carolina Thread Trail, and eventually trails will be built to Boone's Cave Park and other locations. Davidson County and Friends of Rowan announced a $100,000 gift on March 30, 2021, and Friends of Rowan announced an additional $50,000. This money would go for improvements to the park including a dog park, sidewalks and parking. Several million dollars would be needed, however, for a visitor center and playground, and possibly a museum. The town of Spencer planned improvements on the Rowan County side, including a trail with benches and parking. The North Carolina Department of Transportation planned to provide unneeded right-of-way for this purpose. Additional development in Rowan County was planned on the former North Carolina Finishing site, purchased a year earlier by Waterford Funding and requiring $3.5 million in cleanup. 600 people a day already visited the park in Davidson County, and repairs were still needed on the bridge. ==Other bridges==

The North Carolina Railroad Yadkin River Bridges were built in 1906 and 1919 and each contain four spans of Warren deck truss. ==See also==