Interstate 42

[bob7374]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-03-30-cove-city-highay-ramp-closure.aspx

​COVE CITY — A highway ramp in Cove City is scheduled to close for about 12 hours beginning tomorrow morning while contractors make improvements to it.

The exit ramp from U.S. 70 West to N.C. 41 will close at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and reopen at 7 p.m. Crews plan to close the ramp to pave it to interstate standards.

Traffic wanting to access N.C. 41 will continue traveling westbound on U.S. 70 for about nine miles to the crossover at Dover. Drivers will then take U.S. 70 East back to the N.C. 41 exit.

Motorists should anticipate needing extra time for their commute Tuesday and use caution near the work zone.

The construction is part of the project to bring U.S. 70 up to interstate standards between Raleigh and Morehead City. Crews are widening shoulders and milling and repaving the highway, which will be renamed Interstate 42. The project in Craven County is 32 miles long and costs $25.5 million.

When is that project supposed to be done? At least on the mainline, the entire highway had been resurfaced with new full shoulders with the exception of the western most mile back when I drove through in December 2019.

The project was originally supposed to be completed at the end of February. Last fall, however, a new completion date of March 1, 2021 was inserted into the project listing. As of two weeks ago the project was listed as 69.9% finished. Perhaps they added additional work to the contract, such as the project listed above, or cannot complete part of the project until next fall or winter for some reason. The entire I-42 project is not expected to be completed for another 12 years.

[sprjus4]

Highways connect eastern North Carolina to the future

Three future interstate highways will further streamline existing eastern North Carolina corridors and will continue spurring economic development and population growth in the region during the next several decades, according to developers and transportation officials. These routes are future Interstate 87 between Raleigh and Norfolk, future I-587 between Zebulon and Greenville and future I-42 between Raleigh and Morehead City.

There are no accurate projections of when these highways will become fully completed interstates, since they are funded and scheduled for construction or improvement in sections that compete for priority, officials said. However, simply the promise of relatively continual upgrading of these routes to interstate standards over time is enough to quicken the pulse of economic development efforts in the counties and regions through which they pass. What are now rural, largely agricultural areas of eastern North Carolina will inevitably become better connected to highway networks, seaport facilities and rail terminals serving prosperous population centers throughout the eastern United States and beyond.

In some areas, like North Carolina's Crystal Coast – accessible by U.S. 70/Future I-42 – population will almost surely increase and generate a wave of related economic investment along with growth management challenges. In others, vitality-sapping population declines over recent decades will hopefully be diminished through the creation of many new jobs in advanced manufacturing, food processing, logistics and other infrastructure-dependent enterprises feeding off the new future interstates.

"Ninety percent of all new job creation takes place along these type corridors,"  said Christian Lockamy, a former Greenville economic developer who is now director of the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Economic Development Authority. "All three of these future eastern North Carolina interstate thruways have driven a lot of looks at our region from companies we've been working to attract. As a result, businesses and industrial parks are increasing significantly along the routes."

Economic catalyst

U.S. 70, the existing four-lane highway between the Raleigh area and Morehead City, is also undergoing upgrading and will eventually become I-42. The future interstate basically follows the U.S. 70 corridor in a southeasterly direction, connecting Garner, Clayton, Smithfield, Selma, Goldsboro, Kinston, New Bern and Havelock with Morehead City and its state port facilities. I-42 will actually terminate near the Carteret County line in the vicinity of Newport and will not enter Morehead City, although some congestion-clearing bridge construction near the port itself is part of the long-range transportation plan in the city.

Cutting travel time between Raleigh and the Morehead City-Beaufort area from three hours to a little more than two, the 137-mile roadway will function as a less congested hurricane evacuation route. It will become an improved freight-hauling corridor and will connect Seymour Johnson Air Force base and Cherry Point Marine Air Station, as well as Kinston's Global TransPark, to the interstate highway system.

Several new U.S. 70/Future I-42 segments are already complete, including the bypass around the north side of Goldsboro, but others will not materialize until after at least another decade of work.

A 32-mile stretch of the highway between Dover, east of Kinston, and New Bern is undergoing widening of the outer lane shoulders to bring the route up to interstate standards, along with strengthening and resurfacing of the pavement. This project began in 2019 and will continue through 2020.

Beginning at the southern end of the Neuse and Trent River bridges in New Bern, a 4.5 mile stretch of now-congested roadway in the vicinity of the New Bern airport will soon be under construction to eliminate five traffic-signal intersections through the construction of elevated interchanges. This work, locally known as the "James City Project,"  is set to begin in March of 2021, with completion planned for late 2023.

Future I-42 will follow a new bypass just begun around the west side of Havelock in Craven County, with completion scheduled for early 2024. Stoplights in Havelock and the resulting traffic backups have long been a source of frustration for travelers in this area.

"Within five years, there will be no stoplights at all between Dover just outside Kinston and the Carteret County line,"  said Carteret County Economic Development Director Don Kirkman.

The last major piece leading to completion of future I-42 will be the bypass looping around the south side of Kinston. A small piece of this project is scheduled to begin in 2026, but construction will not begin on the larger portion of the route until 2029.

"It's going to take us a while to get there, but I-42 will obviously be a game changer for Carteret County,"  said Kirkman. "But beyond that, I think this entire corridor is going to be transformational – a huge economic catalyst for all of central eastern North Carolina."

[bob7374]

US 70 exit ramps near New Bern to close this week as part of the project upgrading the road to interstate (I-42) standards:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-04-13-craven-county-highway-ramps-closed.aspx

[LM117]

https://twitter.com/NCDOT_Scoast/status/1250778231520854016

[LM117]

US 70 exit ramps near New Bern to close this week as part of the project upgrading the road to interstate (I-42) standards:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-04-13-craven-county-highway-ramps-closed.aspx

More ramp closures in the area this week.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/Craven-County-Highway-Ramps-Closing-for-Upgrades.aspx

[GreenLanternCorps]

Link to a PDF with a good summary map of the whole I-42 Corridor:

https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/us-70-corridor/Documents/US70Corridor_Map.pdf

[LM117]

Several ramps will be closing in the New Bern area this week due to the upgrade project.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-05-26-craven-county-highway-ramp-improvement.aspx

[bob7374]

Several ramps will be closing in the New Bern area this week due to the upgrade project.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-05-26-craven-county-highway-ramp-improvement.aspx

Given the continuing reference in the press releases about the improved route becoming I-42, hope there are not too many people out there expecting I-42 to suddenly appear when this project is completed. Maybe they should mention it won't be signed as I-42 until at least the Kinston Bypass is constructed and parts of US 70 on either side of it are improved, and that's assuming it's signed along the Goldsboro Bypass which hasn't occurred as of yet.

[LM117]

Several ramps will be closing in the New Bern area this week due to the upgrade project.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-05-26-craven-county-highway-ramp-improvement.aspx

Given the continuing reference in the press releases about the improved route becoming I-42, hope there are not too many people out there expecting I-42 to suddenly appear when this project is completed. Maybe they should mention it won't be signed as I-42 until at least the Kinston Bypass is constructed and parts of US 70 on either side of it are improved, and that's assuming it's signed along the Goldsboro Bypass which hasn't occurred as of yet.

There's still been zero mention in the local newspapers of that bypass being approved as I-42 and the US-70 Corridor Commission hasn't updated their site in a year. NCDOT's Route Changes page doesn't show it and FHWA still hasn't updated their interstate logs since the end of 2018. According to NCDOT's chief engineer, the approval came in January 2019.

[sprjus4]

Update regarding the upcoming US-70 / I-42 James City Improvements project.

As of now, the $327.56 million project is currently undergoing right of way acquisition, construction will begin by Spring 2021, and the project will be complete by Late 2023.

Over the past few months, there has been a significant change in project design, notably adding roundabouts at every interchange, plus a modified folded diamond near Airport Rd, and modifying the tie-ins of frontage roads.

Newsletter from June 2020:

U.S. 70 Improvements James City - STIP Project Nos. U-5713 & R-5777A&B - Craven County June 2020

The N.C. Department of Transportation is providing updated project information and contact information for the U.S. 70 improvements in James City project in this newsletter.

Project Overview

NCDOT has awarded a contract and begun pre-construction efforts on the U.S. 70 improvements in James City project. The improvements will span 5.1 miles from the Neuse River Bridge in James City to just east of Thurman Road in Craven County, as shown on the map. U.S. 70, future Interstate 42, will be built to interstate standards, meaning access to U.S. 70 will only be provided at interchanges. This upgrade will improve traffic flow, safety and add vehicle capacity. It is one of several NCDOT projects along the U.S. 70 corridor intended to improve regional mobility and provide better connectivity between Raleigh and the Port at Morehead City.

This is a Design-Build project, meaning the contractor is working with a design firm to finish developing the plans and build the project. The collaboration between the contractor and design firm enables design innovations to be incorporated into the project that save taxpayer money, reduce environmental impacts and alleviate driving delays for motorists. The Design-Build process reduces the overall project schedule by allowing the right-of-way acquisition and utility work to begin prior to completing final design plans.

Project Features

Five interchanges will be built on:
- Williams Road
- Airport Road
- Grantham Road
- Taberna Way
- Thurman Road

Each interchange will elevate U.S. 70 over the cross streets, eliminating the existing signalized intersections. From the Neuse River Bridge to Garner Road, U.S. 70 will be a six-lane divided interstate with a 22-foot wide, paved median and concrete barrier.

U.S. 70 between Garner Road and east of Thurman Road will be a four-lane divided interstate with a 46-foot wide, grass median and guardrail.

NCDOT will also remove median crossovers, build new and improve existing service roads to provide access to U.S. 70 for the properties along the corridor and ensure mobility for local traffic.

One feature of the project will be the use of roundabouts at some of the ramp intersections with cross streets. To improve traffic flow, safety and eliminate the need for signals at ramp intersections with cross streets, roundabouts will be constructed on

- Williams Road 
- Grantham Road
- Taberna Way
- Thurman Road

The project will ultimately create a four to six lane interstate highway (the southern four lane segments designed to accommodate 6 lanes in the future) with a 60 mph design speed connecting to the existing US-70 freeway near New Bern that will become Interstate 42 once connected to another interstate highway (I-795, I-95, or I-40), likely with the completion of the Kinston Bypass projected to begin by 2025.

Project Website: https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/us-70-james-city/Pages/default.aspx
Project Maps: https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/us-70-james-city/Pages/2020-public-meeting-maps.aspx

[LM117]

Photo gallery from the New Bern Sun Journal yesterday showing the ongoing upgrade work on US-70 in New Bern.

https://www.newbernsj.com/photogallery/NC/20200715/PHOTOGALLERY/715009994/PH/1

[sprjus4]

Photo gallery from the New Bern Sun Journal yesterday showing the ongoing upgrade work on US-70 in New Bern.

https://www.newbernsj.com/photogallery/NC/20200715/PHOTOGALLERY/715009994/PH/1

Note the increased 60 mph speed limit, up from 55 mph, that was recently implemented at the beginning of the year, curious if it had to do with the project. The freeway design was similar west of New Bern before the shoulder upgrade, and still rose to 70 mph.

[bob7374]

Another upcoming ramp closure on US 70 for improvement to interstate standards:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-07-21-crave-county-highway-ramp-improvements.aspx

[sprjus4]

New Street View from July 2020 along US-70 Westbound from New Bern to Dover showing progress on the current project to resurface and widen the shoulders to meet interstate standards.

As seen in the new imagery, work has mostly been complete on the mainline, with the rest seemingly being with ramps and other minor touches. This was what the road pretty much looked like when I drove through back in December 2019. The only difference was that the shoulder had not been paved for the last mile near Dover, though it appears that work has been completed since.

[LM117]

More ramp closures in the New Bern area next week.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-08-07-craven-county-highway-ramps-improvements.aspx

[LM117]

New Street View from July 2020 along US-70 Westbound from New Bern to Dover showing progress on the current project to resurface and widen the shoulders to meet interstate standards.

As seen in the new imagery, work has mostly been complete on the mainline, with the rest seemingly being with ramps and other minor touches. This was what the road pretty much looked like when I drove through back in December 2019. The only difference was that the shoulder had not been paved for the last mile near Dover, though it appears that work has been completed since.

2008 called. They want their Streetview cameras back. 

[bob7374]

New Street View from July 2020 along US-70 Westbound from New Bern to Dover showing progress on the current project to resurface and widen the shoulders to meet interstate standards.

As seen in the new imagery, work has mostly been complete on the mainline, with the rest seemingly being with ramps and other minor touches. This was what the road pretty much looked like when I drove through back in December 2019. The only difference was that the shoulder had not been paved for the last mile near Dover, though it appears that work has been completed since.

2008 called. They want their Streetview cameras back. 

Interestingly, following the Streetview images linked above leads you up the ramp to NC 43, the one featured in this week's press release and closing for new pavement next week.

[LM117]

Upcoming ramp closures at the US-70/US-17 interchange.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-08-12-craven-county-highway-ramps-improvements.aspx

[LM117]

NCDOT is gathering public input on the upcoming upgrade project between Thurman Road and the future Havelock Bypass. Visualizations and videos have been posted.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-08-31-craven-county-highway-video-alternatives.aspx

[LM117]

More ramp closures in Craven County this week.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-09-08-craven-county-highway-ramps-improvements.aspx

[LM117]

Ramp closure in New Bern this week.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-09-21-craven-county-highway-ramp.aspx

[architect77]

Highways connect eastern North Carolina to the future

Three future interstate highways will further streamline existing eastern North Carolina corridors and will continue spurring economic development and population growth in the region during the next several decades, according to developers and transportation officials. These routes are future Interstate 87 between Raleigh and Norfolk, future I-587 between Zebulon and Greenville and future I-42 between Raleigh and Morehead City.

There are no accurate projections of when these highways will become fully completed interstates, since they are funded and scheduled for construction or improvement in sections that compete for priority, officials said. However, simply the promise of relatively continual upgrading of these routes to interstate standards over time is enough to quicken the pulse of economic development efforts in the counties and regions through which they pass. What are now rural, largely agricultural areas of eastern North Carolina will inevitably become better connected to highway networks, seaport facilities and rail terminals serving prosperous population centers throughout the eastern United States and beyond.

In some areas, like North Carolina's Crystal Coast – accessible by U.S. 70/Future I-42 – population will almost surely increase and generate a wave of related economic investment along with growth management challenges. In others, vitality-sapping population declines over recent decades will hopefully be diminished through the creation of many new jobs in advanced manufacturing, food processing, logistics and other infrastructure-dependent enterprises feeding off the new future interstates.

"Ninety percent of all new job creation takes place along these type corridors,"  said Christian Lockamy, a former Greenville economic developer who is now director of the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Economic Development Authority. "All three of these future eastern North Carolina interstate thruways have driven a lot of looks at our region from companies we've been working to attract. As a result, businesses and industrial parks are increasing significantly along the routes."

Economic catalyst

U.S. 70, the existing four-lane highway between the Raleigh area and Morehead City, is also undergoing upgrading and will eventually become I-42. The future interstate basically follows the U.S. 70 corridor in a southeasterly direction, connecting Garner, Clayton, Smithfield, Selma, Goldsboro, Kinston, New Bern and Havelock with Morehead City and its state port facilities. I-42 will actually terminate near the Carteret County line in the vicinity of Newport and will not enter Morehead City, although some congestion-clearing bridge construction near the port itself is part of the long-range transportation plan in the city.

Cutting travel time between Raleigh and the Morehead City-Beaufort area from three hours to a little more than two, the 137-mile roadway will function as a less congested hurricane evacuation route. It will become an improved freight-hauling corridor and will connect Seymour Johnson Air Force base and Cherry Point Marine Air Station, as well as Kinston's Global TransPark, to the interstate highway system.

Several new U.S. 70/Future I-42 segments are already complete, including the bypass around the north side of Goldsboro, but others will not materialize until after at least another decade of work.

A 32-mile stretch of the highway between Dover, east of Kinston, and New Bern is undergoing widening of the outer lane shoulders to bring the route up to interstate standards, along with strengthening and resurfacing of the pavement. This project began in 2019 and will continue through 2020.

Beginning at the southern end of the Neuse and Trent River bridges in New Bern, a 4.5 mile stretch of now-congested roadway in the vicinity of the New Bern airport will soon be under construction to eliminate five traffic-signal intersections through the construction of elevated interchanges. This work, locally known as the "James City Project,"  is set to begin in March of 2021, with completion planned for late 2023.

Future I-42 will follow a new bypass just begun around the west side of Havelock in Craven County, with completion scheduled for early 2024. Stoplights in Havelock and the resulting traffic backups have long been a source of frustration for travelers in this area.

"Within five years, there will be no stoplights at all between Dover just outside Kinston and the Carteret County line,"  said Carteret County Economic Development Director Don Kirkman.

The last major piece leading to completion of future I-42 will be the bypass looping around the south side of Kinston. A small piece of this project is scheduled to begin in 2026, but construction will not begin on the larger portion of the route until 2029.

"It's going to take us a while to get there, but I-42 will obviously be a game changer for Carteret County,"  said Kirkman. "But beyond that, I think this entire corridor is going to be transformational – a huge economic catalyst for all of central eastern North Carolina."

I think it will be nice but not the economic blitz on a scale bigger than what US70 is now, one of the most commercialized long distance routes in the state already. And the only downside is that these  bypasses all add a few more miles to the trip. Altogether they are going to total about 20 more miles if not more to get to the beach. But the Goldsboro bypass is flawless and worth the extra distance to enjoy it's high standards.

[sprjus4]

^

The bypasses don't really add much mileage.

Clayton - 1 mile added
- US-70 Business - 13 miles
- I-40 / US-70 - 14 miles

Selma - 0 miles added
- US-70 - 3 miles
- US-70 Bypass - 3 miles

Princeton - 0.1 miles added
- Old US-70 - 1.6 miles
- US-70 - 1.7 miles

Goldsboro - 1 mile added
- US-70 - 19 miles
- US-70 Bypass - 20 miles

La Grange - 0.1 mile removed
- Old US-70 - 4.5 miles
- US-70 - 4.4 miles

Dover to New Bern - 1 mile removed
- Old US-70 - 27 miles
- US-70 - 26 miles

In total, only about 1 mile is added which is moot on a 100+ mile route. The Kinston Bypass will not add any distance as most of it will upgrade the existing road, and the Havelock Bypass may add 1 or 2 miles.

[sprjus4]

A couple weeks old...

U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass: Another Upgrade to Critical North Carolina Corridor

Although not an interstate highway, U.S. Highway 70 in eastern North Carolina is steadily being transformed into one.

The highway is already one of the state's most critical transportation arteries. Most of the route across the length of the state is made up of four lanes, while some sections have been converted to freeways.

In North Carolina, U.S. 70 runs 488 mi. east to west from the Atlantic Ocean to the state's mountainous border with Tennessee. Along the way it passes through every region of the Tarheel State, including the Appalachian Mountains, the foothills and the Piedmont Triad and Triangle cities.

From Raleigh, the U.S. 70 roadway makes its way south and east along the lowlands near the Crystal Coast beaches to its terminus near Cape Lookout.

This highway corridor in the eastern third of the state also serves as a crucial hurricane evacuation, a popular way for beachgoers to reach their destinations and a shipping route to and from the Port of Morehead City. Additionally, a pair of military bases can be accessed from the highway: Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro and the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock.

With the intent to make U.S. 70 a safer and improved roadway, over the past 20 years, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has contracted work to place U.S. 70 on an interstate grade freeway. The highway's bypasses around the eastern towns of Clayton and Goldsboro are recent examples of the department's efforts. Both communities experience the highest traffic volumes along the corridor.

The department believes further upgraded roadway projects will help improve traffic and freight movement along the U.S. 70 corridor and assist economic development in eastern North Carolina's rural areas.

Bypass Designed to Keep Traffic Moving

Now, NCDOT is overseeing another new U.S. 70 improvement, this one near the coast. The $167 million project in the Craven County town of Havelock will further efforts to convert the highway into an interstate.

The U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass is a 10.3-mi.-long project that encompasses a new four-lane, 46-ft. wide median-divided highway and promises to provide motorists with a high-speed alternative to using U.S. 70 through the small community, which is often hampered by numerous traffic signals at intersecting side streets.

The work zone is in the Croatan National Forest, while Havelock is home to the Cherry Point Marine base – both of which figured into the bypass design, according to NCDOT.

Brad McMannen, the agency's resident engineer in the area, said the bypass is being constructed on the south side of U.S. 70, due to the Marine air station being located on the north edge of Havelock.

"The project is located mostly on new alignment, except for work at the beginning and the end where the two new interchanges are located outside of Havelock: the new interchange at Lake Road and the overpass located at Sunset Boulevard," he explained, adding that the roadway crosses three railroad tracks, intersections that will also need improvements.

As the U.S. 70 bypass runs through a national forest and some wetland areas, years of planning and careful design were required before NCDOT and the Sierra Club signed an agreement in 2018. It allowed the transportation department to proceed with the bypass while addressing project-related conservation concerns associated with the national forest and providing resources for long-term protection of the woodlands.

Major National Road Builder on Job

McMannen added that the prime contractor, Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc., has been working at the site for almost a year. The company will build three interchanges; 14 new bridges (six built over railroad tracks); plus raise two existing bridges over the new highway. The bypass will not be constructed in phases, he said, but Balfour Beatty does have a timeframe for how and when to complete the traffic switch onto the new ramps of the interchanges.

The expected completion date for the project is May 2024, but all work except for the vegetation is expected to be complete by November 2023, McMannen reported. By late August, Balfour Beatty had cleared approximately 40 percent of the project, had opened three borrow pits and brought in materials for the roadway.

"The contractor and its subs also have started on two bridge structures by driving piles and pouring caps," McMannen continued, "while also building roadway and placing drainage structures behind the clearing operations."

Balfour Beatty's major subcontracting companies and the services they are providing on the U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass are:
* Barnhill Contracting Company – asphalt
* Bullington Construction Inc. – guardrails
* Evergreen Clearing Inc. – clearing and grubbing
* Gosalia Concrete Constructors – concrete barrier rails
* National Erectors – rebar/steel
* Sadler Landscaping Inc. – seeding and mulching
* Seal Brothers Contracting – silt and safety fencing
* Military Federal Construction – hauling
* More Tons LLC – hauling
* M&J Trucking Inc. – hauling
* RL Thompson Inc. – hauling

Heavy Work Demands Top Equipment

The earth moving, pile driving and asphalt needed for the Havelock Bypass will be extensive, according to McMannen. Approximately 5.8 million cu. yds. of borrow material is to be placed, along with 91,000 linear ft. piles and 252,000 tons of asphalt.

To handle all that material, Balfour Beatty and its crews will be using an armada of construction equipment provided by some of the top dealerships in North Carolina.

The contractors are using 40- to 45-ton off-road trucks from Cat, Volvo and John Deere for all major borrow hauling, while the excavators and bulldozers will be a mix of Cat, Komatsu and John Deere.

Excavators and other earth moving machines are being supplied by Gregory Poole Equipment Co. (Cat); Ascendum Machinery Inc. (Volvo); James River Equipment (John Deere); and Linder Industrial Equipment (Komatsu).

McMannen explained that the cranes utilized on the U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass are a Kobelco 275-ton; a Terex 230-ton; and Grove 70-ton cherry pickers.

"Most of the larger cranes will be rented from Dozier Crane & Machinery, with the smaller cherry pickers and impact hammers being company owned," he said. "The small equipment is either company owned or rented from Sunbelt Rentals and United Rentals."

The NCDOT engineer predicts work on the bypass will require Balfour Beatty to reach a peak of 90 to 110 employees on site around the middle of 2021 through early 2023, with subcontractor crews fluctuating between 10 to 75 crew members during that same period.

Coastal Climate Can Affect Work

In coastal North Carolina, weather is always a key factor in keeping any large-scale construction project on schedule. That is especially true on a green alignment with the length of the U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass.

McMannen explained that earth moving operations on a project that goes through or adjoins wetlands also is a challenging effort but building road structures during the driest months of the year can be even more problematic.

"It's key to keep the structure operations on schedule due to the in-water moratorium associated with the four largest structures on the project," he added. "With the project alignment traversing through the Croatan National Forest, special attention is needed to make sure that there are no environmental impacts outside the right of way."

Route Will One Day Be Interstate 42

When the U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass is finished in four years, it will be among several projects NCDOT has completed, is working on, or has planned to bring the roadway to interstate standards.

One of those projects now in the preliminary stages will improve the highway from the bypass north to the community of Thurman, near New Bern. That $153 million enterprise is set to begin in the winter of 2021-22 and be completed, if all goes to plan, in 2025.

NCDOT's efforts to modernize U.S. 70 in eastern North Carolina paid off in 2016, when the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) assigned the future I-42 designation to the majority of U.S. 70's route southeast of Raleigh all the way to the coast.

[architect77]

Several ramps will be closing in the New Bern area this week due to the upgrade project.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-05-26-craven-county-highway-ramp-improvement.aspx

Given the continuing reference in the press releases about the improved route becoming I-42, hope there are not too many people out there expecting I-42 to suddenly appear when this project is completed. Maybe they should mention it won't be signed as I-42 until at least the Kinston Bypass is constructed and parts of US 70 on either side of it are improved, and that's assuming it's signed along the Goldsboro Bypass which hasn't occurred as of yet.

I've seen shoulder signs that say Future I-42 but I guess you mean completely signed and officially.