Wednesday, December 6, 2023
By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on August 22, 2023
(File photo: Mark Jurkowitz)
There is a light at the end of the tunnel for the $20 million Colington Road project that began in late January 2022, and is on track to be finished late this fall, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
In an Aug. 22 email sent in response to a Voice inquiry, NCDOT Communications Officer Tim Hass wrote that after consulting with the lead engineer, “the project is currently 75% complete.”
Describing the current status of the work, Hass stated that “The asphalt widening for the bike path has been completed from Colington Harbor to Baum Bay Drive. The contractor is currently cutting ditches and replacing the concrete driveways through this portion of the project, as well as other punch list items, before placing the final lift of asphalt.”
“The contractor will focus on the widening from Baum Bay Drive to Bermuda Bay Blvd. next month,” he added, “before completing the intersection of Colington Road and US 158 later this fall.
The facelift for the winding 4.3-mile-long road—which includes resurfacing; paved shoulders to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians; realignment of several substandard curves; additional turn lanes; and raising the grade on flood-prone sections—had initially engendered opposition from businesses and residents and saw its share of delays.
For those who travel on the busy road, the construction has been marked by continuous lane restrictions and frequent traffic stops, sometimes as many as three along the stretch from U.S. 158 to Colington Harbour. (There is an old saying that news is something that happens “to or near an editor.” Thus, I acknowledge that these traffic stops have been part of my daily life for a good part of two years.)
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Barnhill Contracting Company will receive, open, and read publicly all bids received in person in the Training & GPS Technology Room at the main office and listed with the virtual viewing at the link to be posted on Barnhill’s Plan Room.
Bids will not be accepted from bidders that are not pre-qualified. No facsimile or email submissions are permitted. Sealed bids are to be hand delivered to the bid opening location noted above or mailed Sealed Bids can be delivered before 9:00am the day of the bid to the Barnhill Contracting Company Office at 800 Tiffany Blvd., Suite 200 Rocky Mount, NC 27804. Attention “Clint Hardison.”
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All Bidders are strongly encouraged to include opportunities for HUB participation wherever possible in their respective Bid submission. HUB participation is a part of this contract and must comply with all requirements set forth in the Bid Documents.
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Topic: Dare EMS – Phase 2 Pre-Bid Conference
Time: Dec 6, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 823 9069 2985
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Comments
Go to comments
Jay
As a Colington resident this update is good news. The road improvements are long overdue.
Yes waiting in the M-F lane closures is getting tiresome. Fred Smith employees are doing a good job maintain the traffic flow. I’m curious to see how the new new drainage ditches flow i.e. work. Will NCDOT maintain these ditches to keep them flowing?
I have noticed some drivers cannot stay in their lane. They are drifting across the right white line and partially driving in the pedestrian/bike lanes.
Mark thanks for the update!
WindyBill
Well Jay, Of course you are right. Has always been and will always be. Here’s a driving game I enjoy on Colington Road. It does compell attention to the road ahead. Count the number of times the car ahead has a tire touch or go more than halfway over the yellow or white lines (your call). Guesses on the average? Completely over 3 times may merit a 911 call. Challenge: A precise driver can drive the full length of the road at the speed limit, without touching the: brakes (traffic permitting), white or yellow lines, or squeeling tires. Can you?
Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice
Windy, here’s what I wish I had done once they started with the traffic stops. Keep a running tally on how many times I got to keep going and how many times I had to stop. I’m sure this is an exaggeration, but I swear I’ve hit the red light about 75% of the time.
BKT
Nice progress
Great location to live and play
When the news paper company developed the property, they could have never imagined needing this kind of road. Wish our government leaders and developers would look a little further in the future when designing this large of a development.
Luminous
Something’s off here trying to reconcile “75% done” and “expected to be finished this fall.” They’ve been at this for the better part of two years. If it’s only 75% done, that may suggest they’re behind schedule. Or when they say “75% done,” do they mean they have a checklist of objectives, many of which are quick to do but only get checked off near the end?
The annoying part to me recently is that early in the project, the one-lane sections were short, and they were working there. That keeps the waiting backups and delays to motorists briefer than what I’ve seen all too often lately which are extended sections of roadway blocked while they’re only working on a relatively small section of it. With a long section of roadway blocked one-way, it takes increasingly longer for backed-up traffic to clear it, which leads to more delays. It seems like convenience to the contractor in not having to move cones and gates is taking priority over convenience to the motorists. This is also a public safety issue for emergency responders.
Jay
Windy I can travel Colington Road at 35 and stay in my lane. My full size crew cab truck needs to take the curve at Billy’s a little slower.
My point on drivers crossing the white line was to alert pedestrians and bikers not to get over confident thinking those left side bike lanes are safe to travel without staying alert.
WindyBill
Jay: Cool!