ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) announced in late June that improvements are planned for Nash County. Two bridges over Interstate 95 will be replaced and Exit 145 will be refigured to better handle commercial truck traffic.
NCDOT has awarded a $23 million contract to Barnhill Contracting Co. to replace the following bridges that cross I-95:
- Swift Creek School Road (N.C. 33) bridge at Exit 150, and
- Watson Seed Farm Road overpass.
According to NCDOT, both bridges are reaching the end of their useful life. They will be replaced with longer bridges designed to accommodate the future widening of the interstate. During construction, these bridges will be closed with marked detours.
Under the same contract, the Gold Rock interchange at Exit 145 along I-95 will be modified as follows:
- Permanently remove the Halifax Road overpass and realign that road to form a diamond-type interchange at Exit 145, with roundabouts at the entrance and exit ramps, and
- Improve the intersection of N.C. 4 and N.C. 48 by adding a left turn lane on N.C. 48.
The contractor is scheduled to begin improving the Gold Rock interchange in August. The N.C. 33 bridge will be closed beginning this fall for about nine months for reconstruction. When the new N.C. 33 bridge opens, the contractor will close the Watson Seed Farm Road overpass for a similar duration.
All projects associated with this contract are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.
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