Balfour Beatty has been awarded a contract worth around US$242 million by the North Carolina Department of Transport to improve the US-70 highway.
The design-build contract covers 10.3km of the US-70 between the Havelock Bypass and east of Thurman Road in Craven County, North Carolina.
Balfour Beatty will lead the design and construction of the project’s structures and roadways. The company is already heavily involved along the interstate to deliver the US-70 Havelock Bypass and US-70 James City projects. Balfour has been working with the NCDT for 20 years, said Mark Johnnie, Balfour Beatty senior vice president of southeast civils operations.
According to NCDOT, the newly awarded project is intended to improve the US-70 corridor, the future Interstate 42, between Raleigh and the Port of Morehead City to interstate standard. Construction is expected to start late this year with an expected completion in summer 2028.
Balfour Beatty is currently constructing the US-70 Havelock Bypass– a 16km four-lane, median-divided highway – in Havelock that will be a major connection from the Morehead City Port to Raleigh. The project includes construction of 15 bridges, which will require around 4.43 million cubic metres of borrow material and 288,000 tonnes of asphalt. Construction began in August 2019 and is slated for completion in spring 2024.
Meanwhile, US-70 James City design-build projects involves upgrading 8.2km of highway from east of Thurman Road to the Neuse River Bridge in James City. Balfour Beatty will upgrade existing alignment of US-70 to a controlled-access, divided highway in compliance with interstate standards. The scope of work also includes five at-grade, signalised intersections that will be converted to grade-separated interchanges.
In addition, two-way access roads on both sides of US-70 will connect existing service roads and maintain access to side streets and abutting properties.
Construction started in early 2021 and completion is likely by the end of this year.
