A design-build contract has been awarded for widening Interstate 40 in Orange County, North Carolina.

Lane Construction won the $236 million contract to widen 11.5 miles of the highway from four to six lanes. Interchanges will also be modified. The project will extend from I-85 near Hillsborough to the Durham County line.

When finished, drivers will have three lanes of travel in each direction between Johnston and Guilford counties. The project includes replacement of both I-40 bridges over Old N.C. 86 at Exit 261.

The I-40 corridor is heavily congested during rush hours, and the project is designed to alleviate that congestion as well as improve safety, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Construction is scheduled to begin in Fall 2022 and be completed in 2025. Lane plans to recycle the highway’s concrete pavement for sub-base for the new roadway, as well as recycle milled asphalt for the project.

NCDOT decided late last year to switch to a design-build process, which combines road design and construction, as well as right-of-way acquisition, into one contract. Lane will be responsible for developing the final plans.

I-40 is currently being widened between Raleigh and Clayton. The 12-mile, $360 million project began in 2018 and is expected to be completed in 2023. 

The I-40 contract is the latest major widening project announced in the state this month. A contract for widening a section of I-95 in eastern North Carolina was recently awarded. The highway will be widened from six to eight lanes and upgraded. The nine-mile, $236.5 million project was awarded to a joint venture of Flatiron and Fred Smith Co.