NEW BERN – Construction of the Taberna Way interchange bridge — the second of five planned along the U.S. 70 James City corridor — is set to begin soon. During this phase, U.S. 70 travelers will follow a temporary traffic pattern to maintain safety and mobility.
Starting at 6 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, weather permitting, a series of U.S. 70 lane closures will begin to shift U.S. 70 Eastbound and Westbound traffic near Taberna Way to newly widened portions of the highway and interchange ramps. By 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 24, this temporary traffic pattern will be fully implemented and will remain in place during bridge construction.
Construction crews will install reduced conflict intersections (RCI) with temporary traffic signals near the Taberna Way intersection with U.S. 70 to support traffic flow. These RCIs will allow drivers to make U-turns on the highway and access side streets while the median crossover at Taberna Way is closed during bridge construction. For more information about temporary RCIs along the project corridor, see the project construction phases video.
To prepare the area for RCI implementation, portions of Taberna Way on both sides of U.S. 70 will be closed between the highway and the new service roads from 6 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 to 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 24. Signed detour routes will be in place for motorists to access Taberna Way.
Travelers are encouraged to sign up for project updates and traffic alerts by providing an email address or cell phone number on the project website.
Intersections along U.S. 70 in James City are being converted to interchanges without traffic signals, improving traffic flow and reducing travel times. The Taberna Way interchange will allow for fluid cross street traffic under the highway, with roundabouts on both sides to manage the flow of traffic. Bridge construction marks the final stage of construction before the interchange is complete.
The project team is available to answer any questions by email, US70-JamesCity@publicinput.com, or by phone at 1-855-925-2801 and enter code 7872 when prompted. Follow social media for updates on X at @NCDOT_Scoast or Facebook at @NCDOT and join the Southern Coast Updates Facebook Channel.