A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation will begin construction to widen I-95 to a total of eight lanes between exit 13 and just north of mile marker 21 this week. The project is expected to be completed in four years. 

Hurricanes Matthew and Florence both flooded I-95 and caused the interstate to shut down for several days, and because of this the team responsible for reconstruction and expansion is now looking to build on a higher subgrade. First steps towards construction include testing the soil and evaluating how much subgrade material is needed where temporary pavement will be added. 

Beginning Sept. 19, crews will be ready to install concrete barriers in the median, which has guardrail, between exits 13-17, to create a safe work zone. This work will take about a month to complete and require overnight lane closures on I-95 North.

Once finished with the northbound lanes, the crews will redirect their attention to the southbound lanes to carry out the following work under nighttime lane closures:

• Add temporary pavement to the median between exits 13-17
• Add pavement beyond the existing 10-foot paved shoulder by also filling in what is now a ditch and,
• Relocate utilities near service roads adjacent to the interstate.

Work on the southbound lanes will continue into next year, when crews will be ready to shift the two northbound lanes onto the southbound side on a wider road. A concrete barrier will separate the two directions of travel when they are on the southbound side of the interstate.

This traffic shift next year will allow the contractor to rebuild and widen to a total of four lanes going north at a new elevation higher than the current highway over this eight-mile stretch. The new I-95 bridge going over the Lumber River will have both directions of I-95 with a concrete barrier rail to separate traffic in the median. The new bridge will be longer, wider, and at least 10 feet higher in order to demonstrate greater resilience against future flooding.

Public Relations Officer Andrew Barksdale expressed his enthusiasm for the plan for improvement: “This whole project is going to really modernize the interstate. A lot of sections of I-95 were designed and built in the sixties and [now] we have modern design standards…” “...When we build an interstate today the on and off ramps are a little bit longer, the bridges are a little bit higher…”

The lane closures will take place from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and could also occur on the weekends from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following morning. Speed limits will be reduced to 55 mph when throughout the workzone.  

“It’s gonna be a work zone for the next four years…but when it's all over with it's gonna be a much better highway…” added Barksdale.