PCL Civil Constructors Named in OBX Bridge Lawsuit
After cutting power to thousand of residents and vacationers in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, PCL Civil Constructors has been named in a class action lawsuit filed in Dare County Superior Court.
The company building the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge cut power cable that resulted in the forced evacuation of people from Hatteras and Ocracoke. Local businesses joined to file the suit claiming the incident significantly impacted their business and the local economy.
Located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Bonner Bridge is the only access route across Oregon Inlet between Bodie Island and Hatteras Island. The project consists of a two-lane, 2.7-mile bridge with a maximum span length of 350 feet and a vertical clearance of 70 feet. The north and south approach structures consist of prestressed concrete beams with a cast-in-place deck.
A press release from The Wallace and Graham law firm in Salisbury, NC, said the firm is working with other attorneys in North and South Carolina, and describes the incident as a “catastrophic power outage which hit the North Carolina Outer Banks on July 27, during peak tourist season.”
The lawsuit is brought on behalf of affected individuals and businesses. Those suing include Briggs McEwan, whose local pizza and home rental business in Rodanthe claims to have lost thousands of dollars already. Another Plaintiff, Tami Lynette Gray of Frisco, claims that her charter boating business has suffered significant losses, as well.
“For people in the Hatteras and Ocracoke areas, this outage is causing significant harm. We have moved quickly to seek to make our clients’ voices heard in this ongoing crisis and obtain judicial relief,” states Mona Lisa Wallace of Wallace and Graham, P.A.
According to Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative’s (CHEC), PCL accidentally drove a steel casing into a power cable. The impact damaged cables supplying electricity, leading to widespread power outages to both Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands.
PCL Civil Constructors lists a principal office in Raleigh on its website. In addition, the lawsuit names two other PCL affiliates. According to the lawsuit, PCL markets itself as having special expertise on bridge replacement projects. The work is being performed under a contract with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The goal is to replace the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge across Oregon Inlet from Bodie Island to Hatteras Island. The estimated cost of the project is $250 million or more.
The bridge spans nearly three miles. The complaint alleges that in order to win the contract, PCL claimed it could save $60 million or more by working under an accelerated schedule. The lawsuit claims that in the process of trying to proceed with the work, the power lines were cut.
The affected power transmission cables go near and under the south side of the Bonner Bridge. The underground lines carry electricity to the island coastal communities from mainland Dare County.
Dennis Rose and Peebles Harrison of the law firm of Rose Harrison & Gilreath, and Cheryl Perkins and Jim Gilreath of law firms in South Carolina, are also assisting with the matter.
Rose comments that “as a firm representing clients in the Outer Banks area, we can tell you that this power outage could not have happened at a worse time. We are getting calls from local residents and business owners who have been damaged in a variety of ways.”
