Widening project begins
By Steve Herring
Published in News on July 26, 2015 1:50 AM
Full Size
News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
The first steps of a $3 million construction project along Berkeley Boulevard -- an effort that will see the street widened -- have begun.
The clearing of trees and other vegetation is under way along North Berkeley Boulevard in preparation for a $3 million highway-widening project.
The clearing, drainage and grading are the first steps of the project, which will add a southbound lane from New Hope Road to near the Berkeley Commons shopping center where the road already widens into two southbound lanes.
In addition, a right turn lane will be built at Berkeley Boulevard's intersection with Royall Avenue.
The state Department of Transportation awarded the $3,062,750 contract to Fred Smith Co. of Raleigh, said Jerry Page, DOT Division 4 project manager.
The contract has a start date of June 29, and the company has one year to complete the work.
The project should be completed for traffic by June 15, 2016, Page said.
Right-of-way acquisition was handled by the city.
"One thing in the contract, it does not allow closing lanes of traffic to do work Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.," Page said.
But lanes may be closed at other times.
The hope is to keep three lanes of traffic open most of the time, he said.
The project also includes replacement of a culvert that runs under the road near Adamsville Baptist Church.
That will be done in two phases so as not to close all lanes at one time, Page said.
There may be times when traffic is reduced to one lane, but most of the time two lanes should be open for two-way traffic, he said.
Long-rage planning includes four-laning the highway all of the way out to the new U.S. 70 Bypass interchange.
The planning date is not until 2025.