US 158 Widening Project

Project Overview and Purpose

The primary purpose of the proposed project is to improve traffic flow, increase safety, and to improve access to existing and potential future industry along the US 158 Corridor in Northampton County.

Project Highlights

Public Involvement
Detailed environmental studies for 17 alternatives evaluated each alternative for potential environmental, social, and economic effects. Results of these studies were presented to the public at Corridor Public Hearings on September 22, 25, and 30 in 2008. An additional Public Hearing was held on July 19, 2010 to notify the public of changes made to the Extended Northern Jackson Bypass and Northern Jackson Bypass corridor alignments. Citizens were encouraged to comment on the proposed improvements and to provide opinions on a preferred alternative. In total, 412 citizens attended the four Hearings.

Merger Team Process
Citizen feedback and results from detailed environmental studies were presented to the Project Merger Team, a team comprised of representatives from both State and Federal environmental agencies, on March 26, 2009. The purpose of this meeting was to achieve a consensus on the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alterative (LEDPA)/ Preferred Alternative.

The Merger Team agreed a preferred alternative for three of the four communities (Garysburg, Faisons Old Tavern, and Conway). The preferred alternatives for these communities are:

• Garysburg Southern Bypass 1 (Sections A1, B2, B3)
• Faisons Northern Bypass 2 (Sections F2, F6, F10)
• Conway Northern Bypass 2 (Sections G1, G6, G7, H1)

An agreement was not reached on a preferred alternative for a Jackson Bypass, however, Old Jackson Bypass (Section D1) and Southern Jackson Bypass (Sections C1, E2, E4) were eliminated from further consideration. The Merger Team requested slight modifications for each of the two remaining Jackson Bypass alternatives.

Modifications to the Extended Northern Jackson Bypass and the Northern Jackson Bypass required alignments to be shifted out of the original study corridor shown at the Corridor Public Hearings. Revised Jackson Bypass Design Corridor Map.

A second Project Merger Team meeting was held on October 19, 2010 to discuss the results of updated detailed environmental studies, and Public Hearing completed for each of the remaining Jackson Bypasses. As a result of the discussion the Merger Team was able to concur on the Northern Jackson Bypass as the LEDPA for the Jackson Bypass Alternatives.

Contact Information

Resources for Local Property Owners

In many cases, it is inevitable that a certain amount of private property must be acquired. The displacement of homes and businesses is minimized to the extent practicable. The following brochures will answer questions about this process.