Five highway improvement projects in Johnston County have been accelerated by the NC Board of Tra
nsportation.
At their meeting this month in Raleigh, the NC Board of Transportation was presented with an updated list of new and rescheduled projects for their review. These changes, called amendments, were made possible thanks to Governor Pat McCrory’s recently signed 2015 budget and will be voted on for approval in January as part of the 2016-2025 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) – the N.C. Department of Transportation’s 10-year construction plan.
The state budget included additional funding for transportation through the elimination of the transfer from the Highway Fund to the General Fund and through other fee and rate changes resulting in an additional $1.6 billion over the next 10 years for transportation construction.
In Johnston County, the Department of Transportation was able to accelerate the timeline of 5 projects. They include:
- Widen Buffalo Road from US70 to Old Beulah Road to three lanes. Construction was accelerated to 2018. Previously the work had been set for 2021. (Cost $7.2 million)
- Make improvements on Wilson’s Mills Road from Swift Creek Road to Fire Department Road in the Town of Wilson’s Mills, including improvements at the intersection with Wilson’s Mills Elementary School. The project will take place in 2018 instead of 2020. ($1 million)
- Widen Ricks Road in Selma from two to three-lanes from US70 to US301. The widening project will take place in 2018 instead of 2021. (Cost $4 million)
- A new two-lane route for Shotwell Road southwest of US70 to connect to NC42 East in Clayton. The project had been unfunded. It is now set for construction 2025. (Cost $27.7 million)
- Widen NC242 to multi-lanes from US301 to Interstate 40 near Benson. Construction will take place in 2025. (Cost $23.6 million)
