The NC Department of Transportation has expanded the US 70 Business Clayton resurfacing project awarded in December 2017.
The $6.6 million contract was awarded late last year to The Lane Construction Corporation of Connecticut. The work includes milling out the old asphalt and resurfacing US 70 Business from the Wake County line to the US 70 Bypass.
The contract also includes reconfiguring several median crossovers on US 70 between Shotwell Road and NC 42.
The DOT has now added two additional items to the project to help improve traffic flow. Transportation officials will have the contractor add a second left turn lane from Shotwell Road onto US 70 Business eastbound and a second left turn lane from US 70 eastbound onto Shotwell Road. The dual turn lanes should help with traffic flow especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours. The other turn lanes at US 70 and Shotwell will continue to have just one turn lane, according to Andrew Barksdale, Public Relations Officer for the NC DOT.
Turn lanes are also being required near the same intersection for a new development. The developer has agreed to reimburse the DOT a portion of the cost of the project.
Additionally, the DOT will have the contractor extend the length of the left turn lane from eastbound US 70 Business onto Powhatan Road. The lengthened turn lane should assist with increased traffic going to the new Novo Nordisk plant under construction on Powhatan Road. The plant is scheduled to open in 2020.
Barksdale said both projects were scheduled to be bid separately but DOT officials decided to allow the current contractor to complete the work to save time and money.
Because of the additional road work, the contractor has been given until the Spring of 2019 to have the project substantially completed. The original deadline was November 2018. Landscaping work will be allowed to continue through mid-2019.
Barksdale said the total price for the additional turn lanes at Shotwell and US 70 and the extended turn lane at Powhatan and US 70 are still being finalized.
