An eight-mile section of Interstate 95 north of Lumberton will be widened, after the N.C. Department of Transportation awarded a $247 million contract this week. 

Flatiron Constructors Inc. of Morrisville will widen the interstate from its present four lanes into eight lanes from just south of Exit 22 to mile marker 29. Each lane will be 12 feet wide, an increase from the current lanes which are each 11.5 feet wide. 

The project will include reconstructing Exit 25 with a longer, wider and taller bridge and new ramps with roundabouts. Additionally, two overpasses – Powersville Road and McDuffie Crossing Road – will be replaced to accommodate the additional lanes and to meet modern construction standards. Exit 22, which was recently rebuilt as a diverging-diamond interchange, will not be replaced.

The contractor can begin by Nov. 1, and will have toward the end of 2026 to complete all of the improvements. As with the department’s other I-95 widening contracts, the work will require the installation of concrete barriers for safety; reduced shoulder access; and occasional lane closures overnight with reduced speed limits.

This is just one of several plans in motion to widen I-95. “...The long term goal for DOT is to widen all of I-95 in our state, all 181 or 183 miles…we’re doing it one project at a time and we’re focusing on where the greatest needs are first…” shared NCDOT’s Public Relations Officer Andrew Barksdale. 

Some of the 183 miles might be only six lanes while other areas are eight lanes, but their goal is to widen and modernize all of I-95. 

There will be road closures during the night to allow for construction work to take place. 

There will be reduced shoulder areas and concrete barriers.