Road Roundup: Slides close mountain roads
The wet weather is moving mountains in western North Carolina.
A rock slide Friday on Interstate 40 near the Tennessee state line has closed the road in both directions. A 500-foot-wide area near Hurricane Creek has to be cleared and stabilized, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. The state has awarded an emergency contract to Harrison Construction, which is under contract for other I-40 improvements in the spring.
Officials hope to have the interstate open by this Saturday. Until then, allow plenty of extra time for the detour, which uses I-40, I-240, I-26 and I-81 through Asheville and Johnson City, Tenn., adding about 50 miles each way.
A second landslide Sunday morning closed westbound U.S. 74 just west of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Jackson County. Crews were able to clear one lane in each direction by Sunday afternoon. It looks like one westbound lane of U.S. 74 will remain closed for long-term repairs.
Timeline for I-73 bridge repair in Greensboro
A fiery crash in December badly damaged a bridge on I-73 South at I-85 in Greensboro. The left lane and shoulder on the bridge have been closed as engineers figured out how to repair the bridge.
The state just awarded a contract to Flatiron Construction to do about $4 million in repairs on the bridge. Here's the current timeline:
- February 25: Advance-warning signs go up in the area.
- March 16: I-73 South closes at I-85. Expect a detour using Business 85 North and U.S. 220 South.
- April 19: I-73 South and new bridge expected to reopen.
For you engineers out there, crews are going to replace the bearings, replace the end diaphragms and modular join, repair the damaged deck and rebuild the concrete barrier wall.
Interstate between Raleigh, Morehead City a step closer to completion
We've reported before about the long-term plan to build an interstate connecting Raleigh with the Crystal Coast area. The state wants to bring up U.S. 70 to interstate standards, build some bypasses and upgrade the highway to Interstate 42. This is going to be done piece-by-piece in the coming years (or decades).
Part of the plan is improving U.S. 70 in Craven County around James City, from the Neuse River Bridge to near Thurman Road. NCDOT is holding a couple of informal public meetings in New Bern this week to talk about the plans. Construction on this part of the project could start as early as 2021 and finish in 2025.
A section of the Future I-42 project a little closer to home is upgrading US-70 to a freeway between Princeton in Johnston County and Goldsboro in Wayne County. The draft 2020-2029 State Transportation Improvement Plan currently has construction for that project scheduled to begin in 2025.
Wayne County roads to be resurfaced
More than 30 miles of roads in Wayne County will be resurfaced later this year. NCDOT said the project includes segments of N.C. 222 near the Johnston County line, N.C. 581 around the U.S. 70 Bypass and U.S. 117 Alternate near Fremont and Pikeville.
Work could begin next month and must finish by the end of the year.
