The N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) plans to widen and improve 27 miles of Interstate 95 in Robeson and Cumberland counties, thanks to a $22.5 million federal grant.
The grant is coming from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program, which helps state and cities build and repair critical pieces of the transportation network.
The NCDOT will improve mobility, safety and the resiliency of a section of I-95 that has been plagued by flooding in recent hurricanes. It will widen the interstate between mile markers 13 and 40 – a 27-mile segment from Lumberton to near Hope Mills.
In addition to the widening, the state agency will raise portions of I-95 in several low-lying areas between mile markers 13 and 40 that are vulnerable to floods; build higher bridges over the Lumber River; and install state-of-the-art flood monitoring technology to better monitor hurricane evacuation routes.
Further, the BUILD grant will allow the N.C. Board of Transportation to revise the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) schedule and begin construction sooner on the section of I-95.