NCDOT outlines 1,600 projects
in 10 year transportation plan
North Carolina Construction News staff
writer North Carolina Department
of Transportation (NCDOT) has
included more than 1,600
transportation projects in the
draft 2020-2029 transportation
plan released at the Jan. 10
regular Board of Transporta-
tion meeting.
The State Transportation
Improvement Program (STIP)
is NCDOT's proposed funding
and construction schedule for
projects to be completed dur-
ing the next 10 years.
The plan is updated every
two years, NCDOT says in a
statement. Projects scheduled in the first five years of a
plan are considered committed and are not re-evalu-
ated, but projects in the final five years of the 10-year
plan are prioritized again, along with suggested new
projects. The Board of Transportation is expected to
consider final approval of the draft plan this summer.
See details about STIP projects at the NCDOT website
The draft STIP includes projects in all 100 counties in
the state and all modes of transportation. The projects
break down this way: 1,266 highway, 86 aviation, 235 bi-
cycle and pedestrian, six ferry, 23 public transit and 47
rail. Projects were selected based on technical data, as
well as input from local officials and residents.
A few of the major projects in the plan include:
• Upgrading 15 miles of U.S. 64 to Interstate 87 in
Nash and Edgecombe counties;
• constructing part of the U.S. 74 Wadesboro Bypass in
Anson County;
• improving I-77 south of Charlotte in Mecklenburg
County; • constructing the I-26 Connector in Buncombe
County; • adding a second passenger ferry for the Ocracoke Ex-
press route between Hatteras and Ocracoke;
• widening I-40 in Orange County between I-85 to U.S.
15-501; and
• upgrading U.S. 29 to Interstate 785 in Guilford and
Rockingham counties.
A complete breakdown of the projects in the draft
plan, as well as changes from the current 2018-2027
STIP, is available on the NCDOT website.
Each of the department’s 14 highway divisions will
schedule an in-house week-long public comment ses-
sion in February or March during normal business hours.
The sessions will serve as opportunities for interested
residents to review maps and handouts about the pro-
jects, ask questions of local NCDOT staff, and submit
comments. There will also be an opportunity for resi-
dents to submit comments online, with those details
being announced later.
Projects that did not score high enough to be funded
at the statewide level are rolled over to the regional
level to be considered for funding. Projects that were
not funded at the regional level could still be considered
at the division level. This cascading aspect of the pro-
cess helps ensure that local input from officials and resi-
dents plays an important role in prioritizing projects for
funding. Shumaker’s construction lawyers represent clients across the construction
industry: general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, owners, develop-
ers, architects, engineers, construction managers, and sureties.
Al Windle • 704.945.2176 • awindle@slk-law.com
The North Carolina Construction News — February – March 2019 — 3