CLAYTON – Ranch Road will be extended under a new contract to create a direct connection between U.S. 70 and the busy intersection of N.C. 42 East and U.S. 70 Business.
The N.C. Department of Transportation awarded this week a $9.7 million contract to Fred Smith Co. of Raleigh. Construction will start toward the end of this year, and the contractor will have until the summer of 2025 to complete the improvements.
Under the project, Ranch Road will be extended to Rose Street, which is now a dead end at U.S. 70 Business, and portions of Little Creek Church Road will be realigned into new intersections with Ranch Road.
The U.S. 70 interchange at Ranch Road is 1.5 miles south of this project. The extension will create a new route between U.S. 70 and the interchange of N.C. 42 East and U.S. 70 Business.
U.S. 70 is the future Interstate 42 and a commuter route into the Raleigh area.
The town of Clayton sought this project to ease congestion on U.S. 70 Business, help local industry with their delivery routes, improve fire response and create an alternative route for a growing town.
The 2020 public meeting map shows generally the improvements. Since then, the design has been improved with the additions of a traffic signals at these two intersections:
The funding for this project, which NCDOT will manage on behalf of the town of Clayton, is a unique collaboration involving NCDOT; the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization; the town of Clayton; and the Statewide Contingency Fund, which is a special fund for highway projects that receives approval from the transportation secretary and leadership in the N.C. General Assembly.