Estimated to cost $327.56m, the project is intended to improve traffic on a 5.1-mile stretch of US 70 from east of Thurman Road to the Neuse River Bridge in James City in Craven County.
Under the terms of the contract, Balfour Beatty will upgrade the section of US 70, which is one of the primary east-west corridors across eastern North Carolina, to interstate standards.
In addition to improving access to local community services, the project is expected to enhance economic development in the area.
According to NCDOT, US 70 provides an important connection between the port at Morehead City, military bases in Havelock and Goldsboro and the Global TransPark in Kinston.
Balfour Beatty US civil construction operations vice president and southeast region manager Mark Johnnie said: “Our southeast region team’s design-build expertise and unique ability to self-perform both the structures and roadway scope make this U.S. 70 improvement project a strategic fit.
“We’re honored to once again serve as NCDOT’s construction partner as we begin work to deliver another successful project for this client.”
Balfour Beatty said that the design and right-of-way acquisition will commence later in 2019 with utility relocation scheduled in 2020.
Construction is scheduled to commence in early 2021 and be completed in 2023.
Following an assessment, NCDOT has identified the US 70 as one of the three important corridors, which upon improvement would assist economic development in eastern North Carolina.
Earlier in 2019, Balfour Beatty signed a $780m construction agreement with Matthews Southwest to deliver the Broward County Convention Center expansion project and add a new four-diamond Headquarters Hotel in Fort Lauderdale in Florida, US.
The $900m project involves the addition of more than 525,000ft² of meeting space to the Broward County Convention Center and an 800-room, four-diamond Omni Hotel on the property.
 for the US 70 Improvement Project.){kind=link}