SYLVA – The N.C. Department of Transportation recently awarded a $33.8 million contract to rehabilitate the final stretch of Interstate 40 near the Tennessee State line.
Harrison Construction earned the contract to mill out the existing asphalt, remove pavement failures, add a new layer of asphalt and long-lasting pavement markings to the roadway from the Tennessee state line to mile marker 15.
The contract also includes replacing existing guardrail and the median barrier wall from the state line to the tunnels at mile marker 4. All of this work will be performed in conjunction with the replacement of drainage structures throughout the project and resurfacing of the eastbound rest area.
Work may commence in April and shall be completed by June of 2021. Next winter, traffic will be shifted into a pattern with one lane headed in each direction from January to March in order to replace the median barrier.
This is of 21 highway and bridge projects awarded recently by the NCDOT. Per state law they went to the lowest bidder among qualified contractors. They are worth $331.5 million, more than $57 million under engineer estimates.