HAVELOCK – Construction can begin soon on the Havelock Bypass in Carteret and Craven counties.
The N.C. Department of Transportation awarded this week a $167.2 million contract to Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc. of Wilmington to construct the bypass, which will be a four-lane, median-divided highway. The new bypass will provide a safer and faster alternative to using U.S. 70 through Havelock, which is hampered with congestion at numerous traffic signals.
The bypass will consist of 15 bridges, use about 5.8 million cubic yards of borrow material and require about 288,000 tons of asphalt.
The new highway also will help improve traffic and freight movement along the U.S. 70 Corridor, a major connection from the Morehead City Port to Raleigh, and assist economic development in eastern North Carolina’s rural areas.
The contractor may begin in late August and has until spring of 2024 to complete the work.