LUMBERTON – A smoother ride is coming to long stretches of Interstates 74 and 95 in Robeson County, thanks to two new paving contracts.
The N.C. Department of Transportation this month awarded two contracts totaling more than $22 million to mill away the old asphalt, repave the roadway and place permanent lane markers on the following sections of these two interstates:
- I-74 between mile marker 200 and mile marker 215.
- I-95 between mile marker 22 and mile marker 40, which mostly is inside Robeson County.
The department awarded a $11.9 million contract to Johnson Brothers Utility & Paving Co. Inc. of Lillington to refresh almost 15 miles of I-74. And a contract worth $11.9 million went to Highland Paving Co. of Fayetteville to repave about 18 miles of I-95.
For both contracts, the work can begin next spring and must be completed by summer 2020. For I-74, the contractor will not close lanes on the weekends because of increased beach traffic. And all I-95 work will be done at night Sunday through Thursday when lanes are reduced.
This is one of 12 highway, bridge and ferry projects awarded in October by the N.C. Department of Transportation. As required by state law, the contracts went to the lowest qualified bidder. They are worth $79 million, which is $2.6 million under engineer estimates.