Interstate 95 construction work continues
Dec. 27—LUMBERTON — Work on the Interstate 95 widening project through Lumberton is in its early stages, according to information from the North Carolina Department of Transpertation. The project timeline shows construction work began in September with an anticipated completion date in the summer of 2026.
As per the NCDOT, the 182 miles of Interstate 95 running through North Carolina are quite old, and were constructed between the late 1950s and 1980, with no large-scale improvements since the initial construction.
The actual decision to begin revitalizing Interstate 95 began with the North Carolina Department of Transportation in 2009.
The NCDOT said the present project is an effort to widen around eight miles of I-95 from the current four lanes to eight lanes by adding two travel lanes on either side of the interstate. The total cost of the project was listed on the NCDOT website as around $430 million including a reconstruction of Exit 25 and the replacement of the Powers and McDuffie Cross Road overpasses.
According to the NCDOT the project will also replace all the bridges in that particular area with higher, longer, and wider bridges. The highways in this range will also be raised to ensure they are less vulnerable to flooding.
This work will be conducted between mile marker 13 near I-74 to north of 21. Lane closures will be limited to specific areas at night, while daylight constructed will be accompanied by concrete barriers and less access to road shoulders for the safety of the construction workers.
As stated in an NCDOT newsletter, "The purpose of improving this section of I-95 is to help relieve congestion, improve mobility, and enhance the resiliency of this corridor to storm events..." The last area is important, stated the same newsletter, because parts of this stretch of interstate were not accessible for multiple days during Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Matthew.
Among the sources of funding for the highway widening project is a federal grant from BUILD, or Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, an amount of around $22.5 million.
Per the NCDOT website, design contract from the project, with a price of $432 million, was awarded last year by the NCDOT to Flatiron Constructors and the United Infrastructure Group Inc.
According to the NCDOT this joint venture was tasked with design, permits, and property acquisition in preparation for the the construction work, which is currently ongoing.
