Work is expected to begin soon on construction of a 2.35-mile connector road from N.C. 43 to U.S. 70.
The project was to have started in October, but it was delayed by negotiations over the height of a bridge above a railroad midway along the road.
Now the project is "back on track," said Johnny Metcalfe, division construction engineer for North Carolina Department of Transportation.
"Right now we are just waiting on permits to be cleared and sent to us," he said. "At that point we will start construction. We've got everything else in place. I haven't seen it in writing but think it we will have them in a week."
Metcalfe said the clearance over tracks owned by Norfolk-Southern and North Carolina Railroads is "the only the portion of the design that has been affected by the request of the railroads."
While the full design is incomplete, as of this week the Transportation Department has approval to start the design, he said. "They weren't going to start with construction of the railroad bridge anyway," Metcalfe said. "We anticipate no further delays."
Orange signs went up along U.S. 70 West and on N.C. 43 the first week in October to advise of construction coming on the road. The project was promised as part of 2001 state incentives to encourage BSH Home Appliance to expand here.
But the black plastic cover on the signs has not come off. That raised questions about the status of the project, which had already been delayed since June 2006 for lack of money.
Metcalfe said railroad bridges usually have 23 feet of vertical clearance, but the clearance for this bridge will be 28 to 32 feet.
That clearance would accommodate as many as five sets of tracks, which are being considered for a possible switching station.
The design-build contract for $35.4 million will increase since the cost of construction materials is steadily increasing, Metcalfe said. He said the increase could be as much as $10 million.
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