Plummeted finances, revenue cause of delayed NC 43 connector project in Craven County

Three years ago, construction was scheduled to begin for the NC 43 connector project located in Craven County.

Now the $25 million dollar project won't begin construction for another three years in early 2025. But that date is not intended to change, according to Andrew Barksdale, a spokesman for N.C. Dept. of Transportation.

Barksdale said due to N.C. DOT's financial shortages in 2019 and 2020, several projects had to be delayed or paused during development. The NC 43 connector project paused during the right-of-way acquisition process, he said.

The NC 43 connector is designed to be a new road extension from U.S. 17 that will connect from Trent Creek Road in New Bern to the south of U.S. 70 Highway. Trent Creek Road will also be widened to four lanes.

More: New project to improve busy intersection off Trent Creek Road in New Bern

According to the NCDOT, the purpose of this project is to alleviate existing and future congestion, promote economic development and provide connectivity between the community and local destinations.

In 2017 and 2018, new projects were added to NCDOT's Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, Barksdale said. The program is the department's way to identify construction funding and schedule projects over a 10-year period.

"However, by the fall of 2019, we had to pull back and begin delaying some projects because our department spent over $300 million in response and recovery to Hurricane Florence in 2018," he said.

Land acquisition, or buying private land for infrastructure, was also unexpectedly higher for the DOT after the N.C. Supreme Court ruled the Map Act was unconstitutional in 2016, Barksdale said. The Map Act allowed developers to take private property without paying the owner beforehand.

Barksdale said COVID-19 was also a contributor to the delayed project. He said when Gov. Roy Cooper ordered people to stay home in spring of 2020, there was a decline in people driving.

"About half of the revenue that NCDOT receives each year comes from the gas tax, which is 36.1 cents per gallon of fuel sold," Barksdale said. "When people stopped driving, NCDOT’s revenue plummeted – something that was totally unprecedented, and for which we had not programmed into our budget."

Several projects during April and May of 2020 were pushed back another year, and NCDOT stopped bidding out any new projects during the height of the pandemic.

"Fortunately, by the fall of 2020, NCDOT revenues began to recover," he said.

Although revenue recovered, last year, the DOT had to delay its next Statewide Transportation Improvement Program due to rising cost of fuel, construction materials, labor and land costs, Barksdale said.

"NCDOT has to adjust its STIP and budget to reflect the budget realities we are in, so projects, like the NC 43 Connector, that had been delayed in 2019 or 2020, do not have to be moved back up," he said.

Land acquisition has resumed for the NC 43 connector project and is scheduled to be advertised for construction bids in December 2024. Barksdale said that date hasn't changed since August 2020, and the project is on schedule for construction to begin in early 2025.

Reporter Symone Graham covers local public safety for the Sun Journal. Have a story tip or idea? Send it her way at sgraham@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: Why the NC 43 connector project won't start another 3 years in Craven