US 70 Business Median In Clayton To Close Temporarily

The intersection of US 70 Business and S. Fayetteville Street in Clayton is a frequent location for crashes. The NC DOT will close the median crossover Tuesday night to reconfigure the median to improve safety and traffic flow. This photo is from an accident at the intersection in March 2015. Photo by JoCoFire.com

Closure at South Fayetteville Street to start tonight

Contract crews will temporarily close one median opening tonight (Tuesday) in Clayton as part of a project to improve U.S. 70 Business.

The closure of the opening at South Fayetteville Street in front of Clayton High School is scheduled to begin this evening, weather permitting. Currently, the opening allows left turns onto the highway – a move that greatly increases the risk of the more serious angled crashes.

Last fall, the N.C. Department of Transportation awarded a $6.6 million contract to The Lane Construction Corp. of Cheshire, Connecticut, to mill out the old asphalt and resurface the business highway between the Wake County line and U.S. 70 Bypass in Clayton.

To improve safety and traffic flow through the intersections, the contractor also will reconfigure several median openings between Shotwell Road and N.C. 42 in Clayton. Those changes include converting the business highway’s intersection with South Fayetteville Street into a directional crossover design, which will continue to allow traffic on the highway to turn left there. But motorists leaving South Fayetteville Street will be redirected to turn right.

The project is expected to be substantially complete by late this year, with permanent landscaping to follow by spring 2019.