New Hope Creek (NHC) Restoration Projects

Quick Links: Alerts and Closures | Closure Map | About the Projects | Frequently Asked Questions

► Current status (6/18/25):

► Status update (6/13/25):

The partial closure of the Korstian Division, originally scheduled to begin this Sunday (June 15), has been postponed. Recreational visitors now have some additional time to enjoy the area around the Concrete Bridge while final preparations for the New Hope Creek Restoration Projects are completed.

While we await final permits and assessments, our team has been diligently executing several facilitative projects, as well as pre-restoration LiDAR drone flights and relocating mussels upstream from the future construction area. More information and photos from these activities will be shared in our monthly e-LOG newsletter next week.

► Status update (6/4/25):

After receiving three bids for the NHC Restoration Projects, we are preparing to award the contract. If all goes well, the overall sequence/expected timeline is set to begin in late June and will proceed as follows: new bridge construction (summer), old bridge removal (late summer), and old Billy Erwin dam removal (early fall). As you might imagine, the Duke Forest team has shifted into high gear to prepare for the project on-the-ground.

Alerts and Closures:

Project Site #1: Concrete Bridge

To facilitate access to the first project site, which is the Concrete Bridge, Duke Forest staff have begun working with the contractors to familiarize them with our forest and to carefully plan and execute necessary tree removals, limbing, and road work ahead of equipment and material staging. Staff are deploying ATTENTION SIGNS at all Korstian gates to raise awareness of the upcoming closure.

Timing and Impacts to Recreational Use:

Now thru Late June

Duke Forest facilitative projects are beginning Wednesday, June 4^th and will continue as needed through the duration of the project. All recreational visitors in the Gate 25 area of the Korstian Division off Whitfield Road should expect to see forest staff working with heavy equipment and power tools and should take appropriate caution.

Late June thru Late Summer

OPEN areas: Beginning in late June, recreational visitors to the Korstian Division can continue to use and access some of the authorized forest road and trail system through Gates 21, 23, 24, 26, and via the trail from the Hollow Rock Nature Park.

CLOSED areas: Beginning in late June, a portion of the authorized roads and trails in the Korstian Division will be closed to recreation to ensure safety. All recreational visitors should plan to use the OPEN areas within the Korstian Division, other Duke Forest divisions, or other nearby lands managed for nature-based recreation.

CLOSED GATE: Gate 25 off Whitfield Road will be closed for recreational access. This will be the main gate for all construction traffic.
CLOSED ROADS: Concrete Bridge Road south of Big Bend Fire Trail, Hard Climb Road, Midway Fire Trail, Trice Fire Trail, and Echinata Fire Trail.
CLOSED TRAILS: New Hope Creek North between Echinata Fire Trail and Big Bend Fire Trail, New Hope Creek South at Rhododendron Bluffs, Connector Trail between Gate 25 and Laurel Hill Fire Trail.

These closures will remain in effect 7 days/week for the duration of the work at Project Site #1 and will likely overlap with closures that go into effect to facilitate the Deer Herd Reduction Program.

Download the updated recreation map to reroute your trip.

The digital Korstian Division closure map is available here.

To download digital recreation maps for all of our divisions, please fill out this form.

About the NHC Restoration Projects:

The Duke Forest Teaching and Research Laboratory is Duke University’s 7,100-acre teaching and research forest. The Office of the Duke Forest manages this resource to meet multiple objectives, including the conservation and stewardship of natural resources. The goal of Duke Forest’s NHC Restoration Projects is to improve aquatic habitat, restore aquatic habitat connectivity, stabilize stream banks, and promote and protect freshwater mussel populations through the removal of two in-stream, human-made structures. These projects address long-standing infrastructure issues that negatively impact the health and function of NHC.

Project Site #1: Concrete Bridge

At the heart of the project is the replacement of the Concrete Bridge (CB), a low-water crossing constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Originally outfitted with four metal culverts, two are now permanently clogged and the others frequently obstructed, causing the structure to act as a dam during low flows. The CB disrupts the natural movement of aquatic organisms, degrades and fragments aquatic habitat, and artificially impacts water flow and quality. Also, it is the only structure that provides official passage across the creek for forest management vehicles, emergency vehicles, and recreational visitors, but it fails to consistently provide this function depending on flow conditions.

Removal and replacement of the CB will restore more natural flow conditions, improve aquatic habitat and passage for native aquatic organisms including fish and mussels, prevent further degradation of the streambed, and mitigate erosion of the stream banks. The replacement bridge will avoid placing any structures within the stream habitat, and as it will be elevated over average stream height, it will consistently provide safe, dry passage during all typical flow conditions through all seasons.

Project Site #2: Billy Erwin Dam

Roughly a mile downstream, the partially breached Billy Erwin Dam, built in the early 1900s for a hydropower project that was never completed, continues to alter the natural flow of NHC. Water now bypasses the structure on one side, rapidly eroding the adjacent streambank and threatening nearby hiking trails. This erosion also leads to significant sedimentation downstream, where a mid-channel island has formed, further impairing aquatic habitat and stream function. Removal of this structure will restore more natural flow conditions, reduce erosion along the north bank, and allow for stabilization of the nearby hiking trails.

Project Details and Timeline

Stage 1: Construction of a new, clear-span bridge approximately 150 feet upstream from the Concrete Bridge. The new bridge will be carefully positioned where the natural topography allows it to integrate seamlessly into the existing fire road network. Designed to withstand high-flow events, including those predicted in 100-year storm scenarios. Expected completion: Summer.
Stage 2: Deconstruction and removal of the Concrete Bridge to allow the creek to move unimpeded, restoring its dynamic equilibrium. Expected completion: Late summer-early fall.
Stage 3: Demolition of the defunct Billy Erwin Dam. Material from the dam will be left in-situ to shore up the stream banks. Expected completion: Early fall.

Watercolor painting of the new clear-span bridge

Our Partners

Funding for the projects was secured through partnerships and generous private donations. Working with our friends at Triangle Land Conservancy, we secured a grant from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund. A leadership-level gift from Brad and Shelli Stanback, along with significant donations from Alston Gardner and Adam and Rosalind Abram, helped us reach the $2 million threshold to begin the projects. Additional support from Tim and Lori Rowe was earmarked to create the NHC Teaching and Research Fund to leverage this pivotal moment in the Forest’s history in service to its mission as teaching and research laboratory (details below).

Teaching and Research Opportunities

These projects readily achieve the first goal of the Duke Forest Strategic Plan, which is to steward the natural, financial, and human resources of the Duke Forest for long-term success and sustainability as a major University asset for research, teaching, and community engagement. They also uniquely exemplify Duke’s Climate Commitment through achieving the essential work of stewarding our natural environment through the implementation of sustainable solutions across Duke’s infrastructure and operations.

Restoring this vital ecosystem is about more than just completing the construction projects; it’s about ensuring that the restoration efforts have a lasting and measurable impact. Our team is dedicated to thorough environmental assessment and research to fully understand the ecological benefits of these projects and to provide students with hands-on field experience, empowering the next generation of environmental leaders with the tools to transform knowledge into action.

We plan to:

Capture high-resolution LiDAR data through seasonal drone flights to track the evolution of the creek’s geomorphology and floodplain changes over time.
Monitor New Hope Creek for macroinvertebrates because their presence, diversity, and abundance are key indicators of water quality and overall stream health.
Support Duke courses by providing students with hands-on learning opportunities using water testing kits and fieldwork.
Sustain our partnership with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, enabling us to monitor critical habitat for the federally threatened Atlantic Pigtoe mussel.
Fund exploratory research opportunities with Duke graduate students, allowing for innovation without the constraint of securing outside funding.

Public education and engagement opportunities will be advertised on our website and in our monthly email newsletter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click each question to read the answer.

► What is the goal of the New Hope Creek Restoration Projects?

The goal is to restore hydraulic and ecological function to the creek that has been and continue to be negatively impacted by human-made structures within it. The removal of these old structures will restore natural flow conditions, habitat connectivity, and movement of organisms within the creek. The replacement bridge is designed to provide safe, reliable passage of people and vehicles across the creek, for at least another generation with minimal impact to the creek itself. This work directly supports the long-term health of the ecosystem and its resilience, especially in the face of climate change, and it offers unique opportunities for research, education, and recreation.

► Why is a new bridge being constructed?

► Will public access be affected during the restoration?

► How long will the projects take?

► How is this project connected to Duke’s climate goals?

► What impact will these projects have on wildlife?

The restoration projects are designed to improve habitat quality for a wide range of wildlife by restoring natural stream function and reducing erosion. Over time, these improvements will support greater biodiversity and provide healthier, more connected ecosystems.

To minimize short-term impacts on critical wildlife during construction, we are working with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to relocate all freshwater mussels within the project area to high quality habitat upstream. Because most of the project’s impact is limited to the creek, we do not anticipate significant effects on terrestrial wildlife.

► Will there be any changes to the Forest?

There are several facilitative projects that our team needs to complete before, during, and after the restoration in order to facilitate construction and mitigate construction impacts. In addition, the forest roads and trail systems near the Concrete Bridge will be minimally reconfigured to adjust to the new bridge’s location.

Our team has collaborated with the construction team to minimize tree removal and alterations to existing infrastructure, such as forest roads and culverts. Most modifications to the Forest will occur along Concrete Bridge Road inside Gate 25. A small area of young Loblolly Pine trees will be cleared to create a staging area for construction equipment; the selected location actually takes advantage of a small area previously cleared for logging. Trees along the road to the project site will be limbed to provide a 30-foot clearance for all construction equipment and bridge materials to be brought to the project site, including a crane. At one tight turn in the road, a small section of small diameter hardwood trees will be removed to allow the maneuvering of 70-ft concrete slabs down to the project site. A small area of vegetation will also be cleared between the existing bridge and the new bridge to facilitate construction and materials staging.

► How long-lasting will the impacts of these restoration projects be?

These projects are designed with long-term resilience in mind. The new clear-span bridge has an expected lifespan of around 100 years and is engineered to withstand increasing climate pressures, including major flooding events. In addition, as part of our partnership with the Triangle Land Conservancy, 152 acres along New Hope Creek and Piney Mountain Creek will be permanently protected under a conservation easement, safeguarding this critical watershed from future development and ensuring the benefits of restoration endure for generations.