Murphy – Drivers along U.S. 64 West will continue to share lanes with road crews for the foreseeable future.
The widening project that began on Sept. 25, 2019, is about 40 percent complete, according to Adam Dockery, the resident engineer for District 3/Division 14 with the N.C. Department of Transportation.
The project, which initially aimed to be completed by April 13, 2022, has a contract complete date of Aug. 22, 2023. Dockery said right-of-way acquisitions caused delays to the controlling operations.
“We ask that drivers remain patient with the construction, stay alert while driving through the work zone and obey all posted work zone signs,” Dockery said.
From 2011-19, at least 104 vehicular accidents occurred along the 1.2-mile stretch of U.S. 64 West between the Hiwassee Street intersection and Cook’s Carpet at the top of the hill. The frequency of accidents along the road spawned the widening project, which is being financed through Build NC, a statewide bond approved by legislators.
“This project will bring much-needed safety benefits for drivers and pedestrians along this stretch of highway, while protecting the economic viability of the corridor,” then-Division 14 engineer Brian Burch said in 2019. Burch has since been promoted to western deputy chief engineer.
Dockery said he does not have updated accident data since 2019.
“Most of that time the corridor has been under construction, so the numbers would be inaccurate,” Dockery said.
That stretch of road will remain a five-lane highway, with the outer lanes in both directions widened from 10 feet to 14 feet, he added. The inner lanes and center turn lane each will be widened to 12 feet.
The increased lane widths are expected to reduce sideswipe crashes and improve driver comfort. Officials say the wider outside lanes will better accommodate tractor-trailers and improve right turns into driveways.
The sidewalk along eastbound traffic lanes will remain the same, while contractors are adding a 5-foot sidewalk on the opposite side of the road.
A new street connecting U.S. 64 West to Old Ranger Road between the BP gas station and Alpine Animal Hospital is included in the project. A traffic light initially was planned for the intersection, but Dockery said that is no longer the case.
“The traffic light will not be installed,” Dockery said. “That was removed from the plans. We will still be building the connector road, though.”
The project also will improve stormwater drainage throughout the construction area.
The DOT awarded the contract to Wright Brothers Construction of Charleston, Tenn., in June 2019 with a price of $22,692,801. The company beat Harrison Construction, which was the only other contracting firm to bid on the project.
Both bids were about $4 million higher than the government’s original estimate.