ABERDEEN – Road sections in Hoke,
Montgomery, Richmond, Scotland and Lee counties, which are part of Highway
Division 8, will be widened and some intersections improved, thanks to a new way
to pay for smaller highway projects.
The N.C. Department of Transportation worked with the General
Assembly last year to establish the Mobility/Modernization Fund as a way to
speed up smaller-scale road work outside of the Strategic Transportation Investments process, which is how other
projects are prioritized and built. A portion of this new fund, called the High
Impact/Low Cost Project Program, provides about $1.7 million a year for each of
the state’s 14 highway divisions.
“It’s great that we have this new fund to pay for these kind of
projects that are important to a community,” said Patrick Molamphy, the state
transportation board member for Division 8.
The Division 8 engineer, Brandon Jones, said the bulk of the money
would be used to add two feet of paved shoulder on each side of the following
state highways or secondary routes over the next two years. The additional
pavement will improve traffic safety.
- Montgomery County: N.C. 24/27 between
Interstate 73/74 and the Moore County line, and N.C. 73 between Richmond and
Moore county lines;
- Richmond County: N.C. 73 between
I-73/74 and the Montgomery County line, and N.C. 381 between Grace Chapel Road
and Scotland County line;
- Lee County: Lemon Springs Road between
Edwards and Castleberry roads, and Franklin Drive between Henley and Pendergrass
roads; and
- Hoke County: Davis Bridge Road between
the Robeson County line and Camden; a traffic signal will be installed at the
intersection of Davis Bridge and Arabia roads.
In all, 11 projects in the division were chosen, after NCDOT’s
Division 8 staff consulted with local officials on area Metropolitan and Rural
Planning organizations to develop criteria. Other projects include:
- Scotland County: Improving the traffic
flow at the intersection of U.S. 401 (McColl Road) and U.S. 74 at Exit 183 by
adding a traffic signal to the eastbound ramp and making it easier for vehicles
to make turns at the ramps; adding a traffic signal to the westbound ramp at
Exit 184 of U.S. 401 Business and U.S. 74 and increasing the turning area at the
ramps; and realigning the intersection of N.C. 144 and Old Wire Road to improve
safety.
- Hoke County: Straightening what is now
an angled intersection of Calloway and Carolina roads to improve visibility.
Contact: Andrew Barksdale
919-707-2662
acbarksdale@ncdot.gov