DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. — Within the past few months, Chris Phelps says there’s been progress on the Wil-Cox Bridge.

“We’ve got some of the infrastructure in place,” said Phelps, the executive director of Tourism and Recreation Investment Partnership for Davidson County. “Some of the lighting, some of the security measures.”

Phelps is one of several county officials working hard to turn the historic bridge built in the 1920s into a major tourist attraction open to public events.

“We can have car shows on it, whether we can have festivals, food trucks festivals,” he said.

Since the county took over ownership of the bridge last year, they’ve installed a power pole for lighting and for security cameras along with breaker boxes and power outlets.

“It’s just a matter of getting the service connected,” he said. “And, everything’s ready to go.”

Once that’s up and running, Phelps says they’ll make some bigger changes.

“We’ll have three parking areas,” he said. “There’s going to be an informational kiosk, tells the history of the area.”

The 1,500-foot bridge connects Davidson and Rowan counties and sits over the Yadkin River.

It’s one of the few bridges in the Southeast still left from the 1920s era.

“It’s very significant to preserve this bridge,” Phelps said.

County officials will finalize a master plan for the bridge in January.

They’re also hoping to get state and federal grants to help pay for the project.