Project Overview

Planning and development is underway to improve traffic on a 5.1-mile stretch of U.S. 70 from east of Thurman Road to the Neuse River Bridge in James City in Craven County. 

Work would eliminate the existing signalized intersections on U.S. 70 at Williams Road, Airport Road, Grantham Road, Taberna Way and Thurman Road in James City by taking U.S. 70 over these side roads and providing access via ramps.

This is a design-build project with Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc., which means the contractor is teamed up with a design firm to assist in the design of the project. This method allows innovation and a reduced schedule since the designer and contractor are working hand-in-hand, and while construction is under way on some sections of the highway, design work is continuing for other sections. ​

The project is among several by the N.C. Department of Transportation to improve the U.S. 70 Corridor – one of the primary east-west corridors across eastern North Carolina.

U.S. 70 provides an important connection between the port at Morehead City, military bases in Havelock and Goldsboro and the Global TransPark in Kinston. NCDOT has identified the corridor as one of three in which improvements would assist economic development in the primarily rural areas of eastern North Carolina.

In addition, the 2015 Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act designated U.S. 70 from I-40 in Garner to the port at Morehead City as a high-priority corridor and future interstate (later signed as "Interstate 42"). The interstate designation will benefit military interconnectivity, aid in economic development, create jobs and stimulate growth in travel and tourism.  

Project Funding

This project is listed as Projects U-5713 and R-5777AB in the N.C. Department of Transportation's State Transportation Improvement Program and is funded for $327.56 million.

*Estimated costs subject to change