Road Roundup: Work continues to repair flooded roads

Hurricane Florence's flooding closed about 2,500 roads across North Carolina when it rolled across the state last September.

The NCDOT reached a milestone last week when it reopened the last of those closed roads. Zion Church Road in Wayne County had been closed while workers installed a new bridge to replace the 48-inch pipe that Florence's flooding overwhelmed.

Many of the repairs around the state have been temporary while engineers plan and build permanent solutions. One example is U.S. 421 at the New Hanover-Pender county line near Wilmington. The NCDOT says it was the worst-damaged road in the state after Florence. Flooding washed away more than 500 feet of the highway. A temporary bridge has been in place since last fall. Crews are building permanent bridges, which should open next spring.

Highway engineers learned some lessons from Florence and Michael last year. Based on the flooding patterns, NCDOT says it is stockpiling repair supplies in key locations to respond quickly to future storms.

Changes planned for Pinehurst intersection

Upgrades are coming to some major intersections in Moore County.

The N.C. Board of Transportation committed about $1.2 million to change the intersection of U.S. 15-501 with Memorial Drive and Page Road in Pinehurst. Memorial Drive will be widened to add a right-turn lane onto southbound 15-501. Page Road will get left- and right-turn lanes onto 15-501, as well as a new traffic signal.

Expect some widening in both directions of 15-501 to accommodate extra traffic.

The state has not established a timeline for the project.

State considering Wayne County widening project

Planners in Goldsboro want to widen a major street, and they're asking for your thoughts.

The Goldsboro Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is asking NCDOT to widen East Ash Street, also known as U.S. 70 Business, between Berkeley Boulevard and U.S. 70. The plan would widen it from a three-lane road to a four-lane road with a median. It also would install roundabouts at Malloy Street, Oak Forest Road and Commercial Drive/Meadow Road.

You can chat with engineers about the plans at an open house April 23 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Greenwood Middle School Cafeteria on East Ash Street. If you can't make the event, you can send your thoughts to the NCDOT Division 4 office in Wilson until May 8.

Construction should start in 2021.