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User:Djamaliyev64/Interstate 42

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Future plate blue.svg

Future Interstate 42 marker

Future Interstate 42

Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length137 mi (220 km)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina
Highway system

A multi-county project, also known as the "US 70 Corridor" or "Super 70", is a collection of several projects along US 70 to improve passenger and freight movement eventually leading to the establishment of Interstate 42,[1] which is the US Department of Transportation's High Priority Corridor #82.[2] The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), signed by then President Barack Obama on December 14, 2015, added the US 70 corridor between Garner and Morehead City to the Interstate system as a future Interstate. Justification for the designation included better connections with Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the North Carolina Global Transpark, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, and the Port of Morehead City with the rest of state and the eastern seaboard.[3][4][5][6] With no specified number codified in the act, the Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA) expected this corridor to be called I-46 or another suitable designation, and the US Highway 70 Corridor Commission recommended I-50.[7][8] On March 30, 2016, Governor Pat McCrory and various officials unveiled "Future Interstate" signage along the corridor.[9]

For the Spring 2016 AASHTO Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering, NCDOT proposed I-36 for this route since there were no other routes with that number in the state.[10] However, on May 24, 2016, AASHTO assigned Interstate 42 for the route.[11] The entire project has a budgeted cost (as of late 2018) of about $1.3 billion, and about 29 miles still without a budget. Some projects like the Clayton and Goldsboro bypasses are completed, while others have yet to be scheduled. The project involves the counties of Wake, Johnston, Wayne, Lenoir, Jones, Craven, and Carteret.[12][13]

In October 2021, AASHTO approved two segments of I-42, the 10-mile (16 km) Clayton Bypass and the 21.7-mile (34.9 km) Goldsboro Bypass; this was followed by the Federal Highway Administration subsequent approval in March 2022.[14][15] In May 2022, AASHTO also approved the elimination of US 70 Bypass, clearing the way for NCDOT to fully redesignate the route.[16] Signage for the route was expected to be put up later in 2022, but this has not happened yet. In July 2023, NCDOT announced that they were proposing to renumber NC 42 to NC 36 (which was the number originally suggested for the new interstate before 42 was chosen) between NC 50 and U.S. Route 70 Business (US 70 Bus) in Clayton in order to avoid confusing motorist when the Clayton bypass is designated as I-42.[10] Once I-42 is signed onto the Clayton Bypass, US 70 will be rerouted onto its old routing through Clayton, which is currently designated as US 70 Bus.[17][18] NCDOT requested public input on this proposal at an open house on October 12, 2023.[19] US 70 has also been upgraded to interstate highway standards between Dover and New Bern, but this cannot be signed as I-42 until the Kinston Bypass is completed as this segment is not connected to the Interstate highway system. I-42 is expected to be completed in its entirety by 2032 and will include the installation of broadband fiber along the entire route.[20][21]

Route description edit

Wilson's Mills improvements edit

 
Overpass construction at Wilson's Mills Road in May 2022

A 5-mile (8.0 km) section of US 70 at Wilson's Mills, connecting to the Clayton Bypass in the west will be upgraded to a freeway for an estimated $31 million.[22] The plan calls for US 70 to be carried on a bridge over Wilson Mills Road while a bridge will carry Swift Creek Road over US 70.[23] Interchanges will be made at both roads and a connector road paralleling US 70 between the two roads will also be built. Construction was planned to begin in 2020 and finish around 2022.[22] However, COVID-19 funding issues postponed the awarding of the construction contract from September 2020 to March 2021. Construction officially began on May 12, 2021, and expected to be completed by the middle of Fall 2024.[24][25]

Smithfield/Selma improvements edit

Improvements are in the planning stages for the 13.8-mile (22.2 km) segment of US 70 between Wilson's Mills and Princeton. Some of this section is already a freeway but will require improvements to bring it up to interstate standards and add an interchange with I-95. Adding the interchange will require shifting I-95 2,000 feet (610 m) east to incorporate the new changes. I-95 is also being widening in this area.[26] This proposed project is still in the study phase and not currently budgeted nor does it have a timeline for completion.[27]

Princeton bypass to Goldsboro Bypass edit

The existing Princeton bypass eastward to the Goldsboro Bypass will be improved to interstate standards, which is estimated to cost $170 million.[28][29][30] The 6.7-mile (10.8 km) project for the upgrade of US 70 will be done in two parts: the first will be in the Princeton area between US 70A to North Pearl Street/Edwards Roads (construction is scheduled to start in 2025) with second part starting there and ending at the Goldsboro Bypass (construction is scheduled to start in 2028). Currently, project funding has been suspended by NCDOT due to agency's budget issues. The agency is currently working with state legislators to find alternative sources of revenue.[30]

Kinston bypass edit

The Kinston Bypass is a project that has been in the planning stages since the 1990s. The project was put on hold until 2007 when NCDOT revitalized the project. While several northern bypasses were planned, in January 2014, the northern bypasses were removed in favor of a southern alternative, but the project was defunded in 2014 with the release of the 2015–2024 State Transportation Improvement Plan, and studies were suspended.[31] In June 2022, NCDOT announced that they had chosen Alternative 1SB for the Kinston Bypass.This alternative would be approximately 21 miles (34 km) of a four-lane, median divided freeway accessible via ramps at 10 interchanges.[32] Part of the project will also build service roads along the freeway as well as approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) of new roadway that will be south of the current US 70 alignment in the Kinston area.[33] When complete, the bypass would improve regional mobility, connectivity, and capacity for US 70, reducing traffic congestion and delays that exist along US 70 between La Grange and Dover.[34] The westernmost section, which is approximately 2.8 miles (4.5 km) and includes the interchange at Jim Sutton Road/Willie Measley Road, was included in NCDOT 2018-2027 State Transportation Improvement, which allowed preliminary engineering activities to resume.[35] The four remaining sections east of this section were reinserted into 2024-2033 STIP Projects Map. However, as of 2023, no funding has been set aside for the project, which is expected to cost $716.2 million.[34] Additionally, the easternmost interchange between US 70/Future I-42 and Caswell Station Road/Wyse Fork Road east of Kinston currently faces local opposition due to it impacting part of the land where the Battle of Wyse Fork was fought on.[36][37]

James City freeway edit

In James City, a 5.1-mile (8.2 km) segment of the US 70 improvement project will upgrade the existing highway to freeway standards by elevating it over existing surface streets as a six-lane, median divided freeway, improving the frontage roads, removing 49 businesses and 17 homes, converting the five intersections along this segment to interchanges with all but one of them being dogbones (the other will be a parclo), and eliminating a railroad crossing just south of exit 417.[38][39] The project, which is projected to cost $66 million, will connect to the existing US 70 freeway in New Bern. Construction was scheduled to begin in early 2020 and be complete in early 2024.[40] However, the design-build project did not start until January 2021 and its completion was delayed by a year to the end of 2024.[41] Construction on the project finally began in Spring 2022[42] and as of February 2023, the project is about 1⁄3 completed.[43] However, its completion has been delayed again, this time to middle of 2025.[42]

James City to Havelock edit

Between James City and Havelock, a 6.4-mile (10.3 km) section of US 70 will be converted to interstate standards.[44] The final cost of the project is estimated to be $275.161 million with $147 million coming from a federal grant the state received in 2018.[45][46] This segment will be a four-lane, median divided freeway accessible via ramps at three interchanges.[45] With the release of the 2020 draft STIP, it was revealed that NCDOT was attempting to start construction in 2020, but this was delayed several times due to design and funding issues before a $242.35 million design-build contract for construction was finally awarded to Balfour Beatty in February 2023. Right-of-way acquisition will begin in Fall 2023 with construction beginning in Spring 2024. Completion is set for Summer 2028.[45][43][47][48]

Havelock bypass edit

The Havelock Bypass is a planned 10.1-mile (16.3 km) four-lane freeway intended to improve existing sections of US 70 and a bypass west of Havelock, through the Croatan National Forest. The routing through Havelock would become US 70 Bus. Draft and environmental studies began in September 2011 and were completed in January 2016. Property acquisition started in 2016, with construction expected to begin in February 2019 and be completed in 2022 at an estimated cost of $173 million.[49] However, construction did not officially begin until August 2019 and it is now expected to be completed in May 2024.[43][50] According to Balfour Beatty, the project includes the construction of 15 bridges, which will require around 4.43 million cubic meters of borrow material and 288,000 tonnes of asphalt.[51]

Havelock Bypass to Morehead City edit

I-42 is currently set to terminate just beyond the Newport River Bridge at Radio Island Road on Radio Island. The bridge will be reconfigured from two-lanes to four-lanes, but there are currently no funded projects to upgrade US 70 to Interstate highway standards between the Havelock Bypass and the bridge.[52] The ECC (Eastern Carolina Council) noted that I-42 would likely be built on a new alignment to bypass Morehead City to the north before curving back south onto US 70 to connect to the port at Morehead City.[43]

  1. ^ ""Super 70" project will speed trips to and from the coast". WRAL-TV. March 30, 2016. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  2. ^ "Statutory Listing of Corridor Descriptions". Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  3. ^ "H. R. 22—111" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  4. ^ Fitzgerald, Eddie (April 17, 2015). "Bill would upgrade US 70 to interstate status". Sun-Journal. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  5. ^ Foster, Randy (December 26, 2015). "US 70 'Future Interstate' years from completion". Star-News Online. Halifax Media Services. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  6. ^ Medlin, Eric (14 September 2023). "Long a destination, Morehead City on road to change". Coastal Review. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  7. ^ "A victory ten years in the making". RTA. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  8. ^ "Highway 70 Commission March 17, 2016 Meeting Minutes" (PDF). March 17, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  9. ^ "Governor Pat McCrory unveiled a future U.S. Interstate 70 sign today during a ceremony in Goldsboro" (Press release). March 30, 2016. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Stradling, Richard (21 July 2023). "Will '40/42' be a thing of the past? NCDOT plans to rename NC 42 in Johnston County". The News&Observer. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  11. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 24, 2016). "Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 16, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  12. ^ "NCDOT: US 70 Corridor". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  13. ^ North Carolina Department of Transportation (January 2016). US 70 Corridor - NCDOT Project Locations (PDF) (Map). North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  14. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (November 2021). "2021 Annual Meeting Report to the Council on Highways and Streets" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  15. ^ Stradling, Richard (March 19, 2022). "Two sections of U.S. 70 in Eastern North Carolina join the interstate highway system". News & Observer.
  16. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 2022). "2022 Spring Meeting Report to the Council on Highways and Streets" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  17. ^ Shrader, Brian (24 July 2023). "Take 42 to 42? NCDOT has plan to avoid confusion for drivers in Clayton". WRAL.com. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  18. ^ Shrader, Brian (24 July 2023). "I-42 would east travel from Triangle to Morehead City". WRAL.com. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  19. ^ "NCDOT Proposes Renaming Sections Of U.S. 70 And N.C. 42 In Johnston County". JoCo Report. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Work underway for I-42 from Morehead City to Raleigh". WITN-TV. January 25, 2020. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  21. ^ "PROJECTS LIST NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF TRANSPORTATION RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA July 6, 2023" (PDF). https://www.ncdot.gov/. North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved 28 September 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  22. ^ a b "Change coming to U.S. 70 in Wilson's Mills | News & Observer". Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  23. ^ "NCDOT: U.S. 70 Upgrade in Wilson's Mills - Project Maps". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  24. ^ "NCDOT: U.S. 70 Upgrade in Wilson's Mills". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  25. ^ "Johnston County Construction Requires New Traffic Pattern". JoCo Report. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  26. ^ "NCDOT: I-95 Corridor Improvements". NCDOT. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  27. ^ "DOT Could Relocate I-95 Between Smithfield and Selma". The Johnston County Report. September 15, 2017. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  28. ^ "R-5829A/B: U.S. 70 Goldsboro Bypass to Princeton". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  29. ^ Stradling, Richard (November 28, 2017). "NCDOT plans to turn parts of US 70 into an interstate". News & Observer. Raleigh: North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  30. ^ a b "R-5829A/B: U.S. 70 Goldsboro Bypass to Princeton". Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  31. ^ "NCDOT: Kinston Bypass Project". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  32. ^ "R-2553 STIP Section Breaks" (PDF). https://www.ncdot.gov/. North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved 28 September 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  33. ^ "NCDOT: Kinston Bypass Project - Project Highlights". NCDOT. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  34. ^ a b "NCDOT: Kinston Bypass Project - Project Page". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  35. ^ "R-5813: Interchange Jim Sutton Road and Measley Road - PublicInput". ncdot.publicinput.com. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  36. ^ Bunting, Courtney (March 11, 2023). "Proposed I-42 interchange could impact historic battlefield in Jones & Lenoir Counties". WITN-TV. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  37. ^ Stradling, Richard (10 September 2023). "Can 2 amateur historians save a Civil War battlefield from a highway interchange?". The News & Observer. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  38. ^ Dunnell, Trevor (11 April 2022). "Traffic circles in James City: Construction 'ramping up' heading into spring". New Bern Sun Journal. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  39. ^ Masters, Julia (5 January 2022). "U.S. 70 NC DOT project will affect traffic flow in 2022". New Bern Sun Journal. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  40. ^ "NCDOT: U.S. 70 Improvements in James City". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  41. ^ Graham, Symone (7 February 2022). "Here's why the U.S. 70 project has been delayed another year". New Bern Sun Journal. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  42. ^ a b Valentin, Caramia (5 September 2023). "Roundabout comes to James City as part of US 70 improvement project". New Bern Sun Journal. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  43. ^ a b c d Shaffer, Ryan (24 February 2023). "What's next for the Hwy-70 upgrades in Craven, Carteret Counties?". Public Radio East. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  44. ^ "State Transportation Improvement Program". Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  45. ^ a b c "NCDOT: U.S. 70 Improvements – Havelock Bypass to East of Thurman Road". NCDOT. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  46. ^ "Federal grant to help widen I-95, turn U.S. 70 into interstate | News & Observer". Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  47. ^ "Balfour Beatty Awarded $242.35 Million Design-Build Contract by North Carolina Department of Transportation". Yahoo Finance. February 1, 2023. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  48. ^ "More of U.S. 70 in Craven County Will Be Upgraded". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  49. ^ "NCDOT: U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  50. ^ "U.S. 70 in Craven County Requires Temporary Lane Closures". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  51. ^ Arminas, David (14 February 2023). "Balfour wins US-70 upgrade in North Carolina". World Highways. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  52. ^ "Signing Plan, Craven and Carteret Counties, Location: US 70 Havelock Bypass from South of Carteret/Craven County Line to South of SR 1176 (Carolina Pines Blvd.)" (PDF). US Highway 70 Corridor. US 70 Corridor Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
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