Repairs continue for roads damaged by Hurricane Matthew
By Steve Herring
Published in News on February 14, 2017 9:55 AM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
State Transportation Board member Gus Tulloss, right, addresses the the Wayne County Transportation Committee. At left is County Commissioner Wayne Aycock.
Five Wayne County roads remain closed because of damaged inflicted by Hurricane Matthew.
However, progress is being made in repairing those roads in the coming weeks as well as wrapping repairs to the few remaining damaged areas caused by Hurricane Matthew in October.
Jiles Harrell, N.C. Department of Transportation District 3 engineer, updated the Wayne County Transportation Committee on the repairs during a Monday afternoon meeting at Lane Tree Conference Center.
DOT Division 4 engineer Tim Little reviewed local projects included in the new 10-year draft State Transportation Improvement Plan.
There were approximately 290 repair spots in the county as the result of Hurricane Matthew, not including drainage box damage on Interstate 795, U.S. 117 and U.S. 70, Harrell said.
To be considered as a repair site damages must be in excess of $3,000, Harrell said.
The total includes 57 bridge pipe replacements and 40 individual pipe replacements of 54-inch and larger culverts.
"On minor repairs we are about 95 percent complete," Harrell said. "So we are moving close to wrapping that up in the next three to four weeks. You might still see some areas that we were not able to get asphalt at the time and that we need to repair. There are a couple of broken pavement signs on the side of the repairs, and we are trying to get back out, get them patched and get them open to traffic like they were before Oct. 7 came.
"Of the bridge pipe replacements, we are going all contract with that. Of the 57, we have 22 already under contract. They are anywhere from large metal culverts to box culverts and that includes a couple of bridge replacements."
Roads still closed are Eagles Nest Road, Evans Road, Raynor Mill Road, Carmack Road and Old Mount Olive Highway, he said
"Eagles Nest Road, we are anticipating pipe delivery by the end of the month so we should be starting that in the next couple of weeks," Harrell said.
Evans Road and two places on Raynor Mill Road that includes a bridge replacement are under contract with a target date of July to have those projects completed.
Carmack Road is a bridge replacement project and is under contract and should be starting in the next few weeks, he said.
"The only one that we do not have under contract is Old Mount Olive Highway," Harrell said. "That is pending some railroad coordination. They have a headwall there that is right adjacent to the railroad there that we are going to have to tie our headwall and our structure to. That is where we stand as far as all of the repairs go."
One problem that has resulted in delays is some areas has been the sandy soil, he said.
Little said that a contract for interchanges at U.S. 117 and O'Berry Road and at Country Club Road will be let together.
"Right of way has already started on those and hopefully construction will be let in June of 2017," he said.
Other projects in the first five years of the plan include:
* Widening U.S. 117 Alt. (William Street) to multiple lanes to the new U.S. 70 Bypass.
"That project is due to begin right of way by the end of this month," Little said. "Hopefully if all goes well, with construction in August of 2018. The charge there is utilities, and that is probably going to run the timeline on the project because as you can imagine in an urban area anything that you can think of is out there. We have already made some schedule change because of that. Hopefully we will commit to that August of 2018 date."
* Realigning Central Heights Road at Berkeley Boulevard.
"We are working with the city trying to figure out the best alignment through there," Little said. There is a railroad switch near where the state wants the road to cross the tracks. The switch will have to be moved, he said.
"We have had other alignments that would push us farther from the switch, but hopefully we will meet with the railroad and have that conversation and see what that entails in getting that switch moved," Little said.
* Widening Ash Street to multi-lanes from U.S. 70 to Berkeley Boulevard. Right of way is scheduled to start in 2019 and construction in 2021.
* Widening Wayne Memorial Drive to multi-lanes from New Hope Road to the new U.S. 70 Bypass. It is a short distance, about three-tenths of a mile, Little said. Right of way should start in 2021 and construction in 2023.
* Widening U.S. 13 to multi-lanes from New Hope Road to Hood Swamp Road. Right of way is scheduled for 2023 and construction in 2025.
Three projects of local interest in years six through 10 of the plan include converting Beston Road back to an intersection at U.S. 70 and access improvements from Country Day Road and Lockhaven Drive to Wayne Memorial Drive.
Right of way for the Beston Road project is set for 2023 and construction in 2025.
Right of way is scheduled for 2020 and construction in 2022 for the access improvement on Wayne Memorial Drive.
"What we are going to attempt to do is move those projects to the left, and that means deliver them much earlier than what they are showing as programmed in the STIP," Little said. "That is pretty easy because they are low-hanging fruit projects. There is not much cost associated with them compared to many other projects and hopefully we will be able to make the move and get those projects delivered."
The three projects will have a big impact, Little said. Little said other projects in that six-to-10-year window will be looked at and see if any can be moved up.