Blog
NCDOT Plans to Upgrade US 70 from Havelock Bypass to East of Thurman Road
Planning and development are now underway to upgrade US 70 to interstate standards from Havelock Bypass to East of Thurman Road in Craven County. This project is part of a massive statewide initiative to upgrade US 70 from Raleigh to Morehead City, NC. This project is intended to help improve regional mobility and military interconnectivity specifically between the port…
Poole Road Widening Project: What Residents Should Know
The purpose of the Poole Road Widening Project is to improve Poole Road from Maybrook Drive to Barwell Road and will include widening the roadway to a four-lane complete street with a median, sidewalks, and bicycle facilities. The project is part of the larger Complete 540 project and is currently in the right of way and easement acquisition phase. NCDOT…
Hampstead Bypass, R-3300 Delayed Yet Again
The North Carolina Board of Transportation voted unanimously on October 8th, 2020, to delay work on the long-awaited bypass and other projects throughout the state. As reported in a previous blog post, the NCDOT had postponed projects in hopes of balancing its funds, following a decline in revenue that was impacted by a reduction in travel due to COVID-19. The Hampstead…
NC Council of State approves $700 million bonds for NCDOT road construction and repairs
North Carolina state officials have approved issuing $700 million in bonds to support road construction and repairs. These transportation funds will go towards road construction and repair needs in North Carolina communities that have endured uncertainty about the future of critical projects for their schools, businesses, and neighborhoods. A 10-member Council of State unanimously passed a resolution on October 6th…
Audit Reveals NCDOT Improperly Spent $39M In Salary Raises
The NC Department of Transportation seems to be mired in further financial woes this week, according to a recent state audit. The audit report from State Auditor Beth Wood asserts that the DOT improperly calculated raise amounts intended to help the DOT retain key employees from departing the agency to the private sector. This news is just further troubling information…
NCDOT Announces Furloughs For All Employees
The NC Department of Transportation has announced the furloughing of all NCDOT employees across the state. This action is in response to the $300 million revenue loss that the DOT has experienced largely as a result of reduced highway fuel taxes. In an email sent to all employees, DOT Secretary Eric Boyette announced that the move would start effective immediately. …
Delays to Hampstead Bypass, R-3300
As a part of the financial mismanagement and implosion of the NCDOT, the DOT has announced the suspension of projects across the state of North Carolina. One such affected project, the Hampstead Bypass R-3300, has been underway for months now but the acquisition of right of way for the project has come to a screeching halt. As reported in a…
NC Department of Transportation Financial Implosion
The NC Department of Transportation remains paralyzed by a worsening financial situation in the department and state. At present, the DOT has postponed the majority of road construction projects across the state, except for those where construction contracts had already been entered in to and some design-build projects. Recent reports from the State Auditor’s office reveal that the NCDOT exceeded…
NCDOT Announces Layoffs, Project Delays
The NC Department of Transportation has announced layoffs of more than 300 temporary workers and consultants across the state, in response to the recent COVID-19 induced financial crisis. Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette and his department advise that the DOT told affected workers that Friday is their last day, and that more workers will be similarly affected in the coming weeks. …
NCDOT Cuts Future Construction Contracts by $2 Billion Due to COVID-19
The Triangle Business Journal reports that the NC Department of Transportation announced last week that future construction contracts will be reduced by approximately $2 billion for the coming fiscal year due to sharply reduced highway fuel tax revenues caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. In that meeting, NCDOT apparently advised that the number of currently budgeted construction projects will be reduced…