U.S. 70 is a major east-west route in eastern North Carolina. NCDOT has a long-range plan to convert the U.S. 70 corridor into Interstate 42 between Raleigh and Morehead City. The corridor helps provide critical access to two military bases and the North Carolina Global TransPark.
It's also a popular route to some of the state's beaches. In the summertime, traffic can back up at the existing traffic signals, causing delays. Congestion also occurs during the daily commute. Traffic volumes are expected to keep growing on the corridor in the coming years.
The department held a public meeting in 2016 to review design concepts and collect public feedback.
The Categorical Exclusion was completed in 2016. The document outlines the need and purpose of the project, the proposed improvements, and their environmental impacts. This type of document is prepared for projects that do not have significant environmental impacts.
A second public meeting was held in 2017 to present a refined design map that will include closing several conventional intersections, constructing two interstate-style interchanges and building service roads.