You Asked: Can someone tell me when the U.S. Highway 17 four-lane project south of Chocowinity will be finished?

The final, 4.198-mile stretch of work tied to the U.S. Highway 17 bypass project was originally scheduled for completion Sept. 1, 2010.

The job might not be finished until late this summer, according to an official th the N.C. Department of Transportation.

The work began Feb. 11, 2008.

The project area stretches south of Chocowinity from Price Road to Possum Track Road.

The estimated end date for the grading, drainage, paving and culvert work was extended to Thursday.

The estimated completion date wasn’t met, confirmed Joey Brickhouse, an assistant resident engineer with DOT.

“We’ve made some progress out there, but we’ve had some setbacks in the asphalt operations,” said Brickhouse. “And that’s the reason why we were unable to meet this completion date.”

Asked to describe the setbacks, he said, “We had some mix issues, and we also (had problems) with the weather and that sort of thing. It’s just kind of delayed us a little.”

The contractor on the project is Roberson Contracting of Williamston.

The contract amount was $12,883,557.85.

As of Thursday, the project showed an 18.55-percent cost overrun, DOT’s website reads.

DOT officials had hoped to have the work done by July 4, Brickhouse said.

“It’s probably looking more like late summer before we have the project totally complete,” he concluded.

Jimmy Mobley, mayor of Chocowinity, said some residents in the project area mistakenly believed the town had something to do with the paving.

This isn’t a town project, but is a state-led undertaking, Mobley pointed out.

“The Town of Chocowinity had nothing to do with the work delays,” he said, adding the project is outside the municipality’s scope.
“I know there were some people upset because they couldn’t get on (U.S.) 17 by Frederick Road,” the mayor reported.

“One week we go on one side of the (construction) barrels, and the next week we go on the other side of the barrels,” he said. “It’s really confusing.”

Anita Bullock Branch lives in the project area.

“I’ll just be glad when it’s done,” Branch said of the work. “It has been aggravating, living on it, but it seems now that there’s a method to the madness. You can finally see some form taking place, and they’re very close to finishing, I can tell.”

The state purchased an easement to part of the Branch family’s front yard six years ago, she said. Branch has resided at her current address for 15 years.

“It really has been a nightmare,” she said of the construction, relating that the family’s mailbox has been torn down more than once and that the driveway has been ripped up.

One evening, Branch came home with a load of groceries to find she couldn’t access her driveway, which was blocked because of the construction. She took her groceries to her mother’s house, where she waited for two and a half hours until she could access her driveway.

“But I know a little bit of it’s to be expected for progress,” she said.

The Price Road-to-Possum Track Road project is the final leg of work related to the 6.8-mile, $192 million Washington bypass. The bypass bridge and portions of the new highway opened in March 2010.

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