Project Overview
Construction is nearing completion after the bypass fully opened to traffic on Dec. 19, 2025, on the southwest side of Havelock and U.S. 70 beginning north of the Havelock city limit and extending south approximately 10 miles to just south of the Craven-Carteret county line.
The Havelock Bypass is a four-lane, median-divided highway that will provide a high-speed alternative to using U.S. 70 through Havelock, which is hampered by numerous traffic signals at intersecting side streets.
The roadway helps 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. This corridor is the future Interstate 42.
Project Funding
This project is listed as Project R-1015 in the N.C. Department of Transportation's State Transportation Improvement Program and is funded for $323 million.
Project development and design
| $28,000,000
|
Right-of-way acquisition
| $14,000,000
|
Utility relocation
| $13,000,000
|
Construction
| $268,000,000
|
Total cost
|
$323,000,000
|
*Estimated costs subject to change