Travel on a four-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 17 south of Chocowinity is still delayed after contractors missed a deadline for the fifth time.

WITN reported that the N.C. Department of Transportation expected the expansion project to be completed Monday, but orange barrels still guided motorists through the stretch of road in southern Beaufort County.

Construction began in February 2008 and was to be completed last September. The contractor has been fined $1,500 a day since April because of the pace of the work.

DOT says the $12.8 million project is more than 21 percent over budget. It says unforeseen problems and weather delays pushed the original completion date to Dec. 15, then to the end of May. The next deadline was July 4.