RALEIGH - N.C. Department of
Transportation Secretary Gene Conti has awarded a contract to widen and
improve nearly a mile of Hibriten Drive in Lenoir from U.S. 321A (Norwood
Street) to Starcross Road east of U.S. 321.
The $12.5 million contract was
awarded to Miller Engineering Company Inc. of Marion. Work can begin as early
as June 25 and be completed by March 14, 2015.
The project will consist of
constructing an interchange that will connect Hibriten Drive and U.S.
321.As part of this project, Hibriten Drive will be widened from two to
four lanes from U.S. 321A to Starcross Road, with intersection improvements at
U.S. 321A, Berkley Street and Starcross Road.
Lane closures and detours will be necessary
during construction. Northbound Berkley Street traffic will take Countryside
Drive to U.S. 321A to Hibriten Drive, while southbound traffic will reverse these
directions.
When Hibriten Drive is closed,
northbound traffic will take Starcross Road to Countryside Drive to U.S. 321A to
McLean Drive back to Hibriten Drive. Southbound traffic will reverse these directions.
This is one of 30 contracts totaling
$109.3 million awarded by Conti for highway and bridge projects across North
Carolina. NCDOT awarded the contracts to the lowest bidders, as required by
state law. The bids received on the projects awarded came in about 3.9 percent,
or $4.4 million, below NCDOT estimates.
Since Gov. Bev Perdue took office
in January of 2009, NCDOT has awarded 631 highway contracts totaling $4.3
billion to ensure that all North Carolinians have access to jobs and
educational opportunities.
Gov. Perdue's proposed budget
continues to support an enhancing or expanding our transportation
infrastructure. In doing so, Gov. Perdue continues to support immediate
jobs in the construction sector and the goal of ensuring that our
transportation network facilitates access to jobs, education and healthcare for
the future.
According to the Federal Highway
Administration, every $1 million spent on transportation creates 30 jobs, and
according to the construction industry, every dollar invested in transportation
generates $6 in economic impact.