A major highway project planned in Craven County will ease traffic congestion and make traveling to the coast quicker.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation plans to upgrade Highway 70 in James City to interstate standards. The project includes widening the highway to six lanes between the Neuse River Bridge and Grantham Road. NCDOT will also remove existing intersections with stoplights and put in five interchanges, said Jeff Cabaniss, NCDOT Division 2 Project development engineer.
“We won’t have a definite knowledge on when the construction will start until we actually award the contract to the design-build team. After that, they will tell us how they’re going to deliverer the project and they’ll have a definite time frame that they’ll give us.”
The upgrades to Highway 70 are part of a larger project to improve connectivity between Raleigh, and the port in Morehead City, military bases in Havelock and Goldsboro and the Global Transpark in Kinston, according to a press release. Two open house style public meetings are scheduled at Brinson Elementary School 5-7 p.m. Tuesday and the Carolina Colors Pavilion 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday. Residents can view maps, learn more about the proposal, and talk with NCDOT representatives.
