Drivers can expect lane closures during construction.
Drivers can expect periodic lane closures starting this week as the NC Department of Transportation and the City of Wilson begin reconstructing part of US 301 (Ward Boulevard) in Wilson County.
Contract crews have begun relocating a water line where a new storm-drainage system will be installed along a 1.4-mile segment of the boulevard between Black Creek Road South and Lipscomb Road East.
Drivers can expect lane closures and occasional overnight or weekend detours throughout the project, which is scheduled to be substantially complete by summer 2019. The much-anticipated project also includes constructing raised medians, crosswalks, sidewalks and concrete curb and gutters, as well as extending or adding turn lanes. The improvements will help with traffic flow, safety and pedestrian access the boulevard.
NCDOT and Wilson are jointly funding the road makeover, after the city won a $10 million grant from the federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. The city then added $2 million toward engineering, design and right-of-way costs, and the state Board of Transportation chipped in $6.5 million
Last summer, NCDOT awarded a $13.6 million contract to S.T. Wooten Corp. of Wilson. City officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for the project on April 3rd.
