CLAYTON – Starting Monday, the final layer of pavement will be placed on the newly widened section of N.C. 42 East outside Clayton.
The final paving from the Neuse River bridge to Buffalo Road will take about a month, pending the weather, and will cause occasional delays and traffic backups, especially when paving through intersections. Drivers should remain alert throughout this corridor.
The contractor will use temporary lane markings as traffic is shifted from one lane to another.
After the paving is completed, it will take an additional month or two for the contractor to place permanent, high-visibility lane markings along the 4-mile route before the N.C. Department of Transportation can safely open all four lanes to traffic.
The department has kept the improved route in a two-lane pattern so minor work could be performed. That pattern will remain until the project is completed for the safety of construction crews and drivers.