The N.C. Department of Transportation announced Thursday that a $236.5 million contract has been awarded for upgrades on the 9-mile stretch of highway from north of Exit 71 in Harnett County to Interstate 40 in Benson. Two lanes will be added in each direction, bringing the total to eight on the section, which opened in 1959.

The contract was awarded to a joint venture of Flatiron and Fred Smith Co. based in Morrisville. The scope of work will be identical to the widening underway on I-95 from just north of Exit 55 in Cumberland County through Exit 71, which is being reconstructed south of Dunn, according to a news release from the NCDOT.

Early work on the project -- which could begin as early as Aug. 30 -- will require overnight lane closures so the contractor can add temporary pavement and concrete barriers.

The contractor has until the summer of 2026 to complete the project. The widening and upgrades south of Dunn are scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2024.

The upgrades include improving culverts so water can safely flow underneath the interstate, which has seen flooding in closures in recent hurricanes.

Meanwhile, the NCDOT said an I-95 widening project south of Fayetteville has been delayed. The upgrades to a 9-mile stretch between mile marker 13 and exit 22 in Robeson County won’t begin until next year.

Spokesperson Andrew Barksdale told The Robesonian newspaper that “very complex design elements” and other requirements caused the DOT to delay accepting construction bids. The bidding that was originally set to open in June is now scheduled to open Sept. 21, Barksdale said.

The project includes adding two lanes in each direction (bringing the total to eight), as well as interchange upgrades and bridge replacements. Work is expected to be completed in 2026.

The work on I-95 in the Fayetteville region -- all of which is funded -- is part of ongoing efforts to widen and modernize the busy interstate.

According to the NCDOT’s website: “The 182-mile stretch of Interstate 95 in North Carolina was built between the late 1950s and 1980 as a four-lane interstate highway. There have not been any large-scale improvements or widening.”

The NCDOT also announced Thursday that a route near the Cumberland-Robeson county line will close Monday for two months as work continues on the new Fayetteville Outer Loop.

The contractor is closing a portion of Leeper/Parkton Road north of N.C. 71 as part of the construction of a 6-mile segment of Interstate 295.

Signs will direct motorists to detour along Natural View Drive, U.S. 301 and N.C. 71. The 6-mile segment is scheduled to be completed in 2023.