Fayetteville-based Highway Division 6 Gets 88 Projects
Projects cover years 2020-2029
RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation has unveiled this week the final draft of its 2020-2029 State Transportation Improvement Program, or STIP. It includes more than 1,700 projects across all transportation modes and in every county in the state.
The complete draft STIP list can be found on this NCDOT website.
In Division 6, which includes Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Harnett and Robeson counties, there are 88 projects. Among the improvements planned are:
In Cumberland, Harnett and Johnston counties, widen I-95 to eight lanes from mile markers 56 to 81, construction starting next year
In Robeson and Cumberland counties, widen I-95 to eight lanes from mile markers 22 to 40, construction starting in 2028
In Fayetteville, improve access management along Raeford Road with medians and other upgrades, construction starting in 2020
In Harnett County, widen N.C. 55 in the Angier area, construction starting in 2023.
Near the Bladen-Columbus County border, construct an interchange at N.C. 87 and N.C. 11 starting in 2021
In Columbus County, upgrade U.S. 74 with an interchange at Boardman Road (award bid in 2020) and at Chauncy Town Road (award bid in 2021)
“We are going to start widening and modernizing I-95 within the next few years,” said Grady Hunt, an N.C. Board of Transportation member for Division 6. “This is a critical corridor in our state and on the East Coast.”
The department’s 10-year transportation plan is updated every two years. Projects scheduled in the first six years of the plan are considered committed and are not re-evaluated when a new plan is developed. Projects in the final four years of each plan are prioritized again based on technical data, as well as input from local officials and residents.
The overall statewide list includes 1,319 highway projects, 86 aviation, 234 bike and pedestrian, six ferry, 23 public transit and 50 rail projects selected on statewide, regional and division levels. The projects were prioritized based on technical data as well as input from local officials and residents.
Included in the draft STIP plan are more than 200 projects worth about $2.5 billion that are expected to be awarded in fiscal year 2019-2020.
The draft plan includes 385 changes in highway projects from the initial draft STIP 2020-2029 released in January. Some are new projects, while others have had schedule adjustments.
The N.C. Board of Transportation is expected to consider final approval of the draft plan at its September meeting.
More information about the STIP and how transportation projects are funded is available on the NCDOT website.
About Author
