GREENVILLE – Construction on improving and upgrading a historic section of Dickinson Avenue in Greenville is scheduled to begin next week.
An N.C. Department of Transportation contractor will replace the drainage systems and water and sewer lines, repave the roadway and improve the sidewalks for a 1.3-mile section between South Memorial Drive and Reade Circle under a $15.7 million contract awarded earlier this year.
As with many other industries, the contractor, JSmith Civil LLC of Goldsboro, encountered difficulties acquiring some of the materials needed for the project. The supply shortage delayed the start this summer.
The contractor has acquired the materials needed to begin construction on Section 4, which is between South Skinner Street and 14th Street. The contractor is expected to close this section of the road to traffic on Sept. 12. This section is scheduled to be completed and reopened by next spring.
Motorists traveling through the area will be detoured onto Memorial Drive, Farmville/ West 10th Street and Evans Street. However, local access will be maintained for residences and businesses during construction.
Change in schedule
NCDOT officials initially had planned to start in Section 7 (South Pitt Street to Reade Circle.) However, the availability of materials, coupled with a recently completed city of Greenville road project that would have conflicted with detours around Dickinson Avenue, necessitated the change in the phasing of the construction.
“We recognize this schedule change is different from what we first told the public, but it's important we move forward and deliver these important upgrades to Dickinson Avenue," said Sarah Lentine, the NCDOT resident engineer overseeing the project. “Even though we have changed the construction schedule, the duration that each phase will be closed is the same.
The contractor now plans to begin in Sections 3 and 7 next spring, with completion by late summer 2023.
The NCDOT project website has been updated with a section-by-section timeline graphic and a second video about the new construction phasing.
Motorists should slow down, be alert in the work zone and plan for a longer commute when taking the detour.