Commuters in Raleigh will soon see some major changes when traveling along I-40 and I-440. State Transportation Secretary Gene Conti has awarded a $49 million design-build contract to S.T. Wooten Corporation of Wilson to widen 6.2 miles of I-40 from west of Wade Avenue (State Road 1728) to east of the Jones Franklin Road (S.R. 5039) crossover. The contract also calls for a revision and upgrade of signs for I-440, with East and West designations replacing the Inner and Outer Beltline names.

These improvements are aimed at reducing congestion and improving traffic flow in one of the worst bottlenecks in the Triangle. As part of the contract, S.T. Wooten has given a five-year guarantee on materials and workmanship, as opposed to the usual one-to-three year guarantee on projects.

The project will be constructed using the design-build method, and funded through the use of GARVEE bonds. GARVEE stands for Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles, and allows the N.C. Department of Transportation to borrow against future federal funding to help finance projects sooner and avoid cost increases due to construction inflation. NCDOT estimates using the design-build method will accelerate the project’s completion by as many as 18 months.

The roadway improvements include adding one 12-foot lane and one 12-foot shoulder in each direction of I-40, expanding the interstate from four to six lanes. The new shoulders will be built to the same depth as the roadway, which will allow for easier expansion of the highway in the future. The bridges carrying I-40 over Wade Avenue and U.S. 1/64 will also be widened so they will have the capacity for eight lanes.

The new signs being installed will show I-440 East and West around the 16-mile northern section of   the loop between Exit 293 (U.S. 1/64) and Exit 301 (the I-40/440 split). I-40 East and West will remain the route numbers for the loop on the south section of Raleigh, which will no longer also be designated I-440. The new interstate route numbering is meant to help ease motorist confusion about travel on the Beltline. What has been referred to as the Outer Beltline around the northern part of the city will now be I-440 West, with what had been the Inner Beltline becoming I-440 East, and the signs referring to the Beltline being removed.

At the eastbound I-40/Wade Avenue split, the roadway will be expanded to provide three lanes for I-40 from the current two lanes. There will also be sign adjustments at that location and I-40 interstate crest pavement markers will be placed on the three I-40 lanes to help motorists.

Another improvement will be the installation of an overhead dynamic message sign on I-40 westbound between Lake Wheeler Road and Gorman Street.

Work on the project can begin as early as July 27, with completion by June 30, 2011.

To lessen the inconvenience to motorists in the construction area, lane closures will only be allowed between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, until 9 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday.

To make travel safer and more efficient for motorists, the contractor will install two conveyer belt systems by the N.C. 54 exit to haul stone and asphalt to the median area. The contractor estimates their use will eliminate 237 lane closures and nearly 12,000 truckload trips that otherwise would have been needed to haul the materials from the I-40 travel lanes.  

Under the design-build method, both design and construction of a project are completed under a single contract. The design-build process differs vastly from conventional construction projects in which the design work, permitting and right-of-way purchases happen first. The project is then bid, and once the contract is awarded, construction begins. Design-build is an innovative procedure that allows the department to conduct a project’s design, environmental permitting, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation and construction concurrently under one contract. Allowing these steps to overlap significantly reduces overall construction time, helps the department avoid cost inflation, allows the contractor to make innovations that save taxpayers money, lessens environmental impacts and alleviates driving delays for motorists.