ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Another contract has been awarded in the Interstate 26 Connector project.
The N.C. Department of Transportation has awarded a $105 million contract to Archer-Wright Joint Venture for construction of the southern section, which will run from the Smokey Park Highway interchange on I-40 to the I-26 interchange, a news release from the NCDOT said.
Archer-Wright Joint Venture, which also earned a contract for the northern section of the connector in May, was the lowest qualified bidder, the release said.
“This project will help to alleviate congestion in the area, increase the service life of the roadway and provide better access to western Buncombe County,” according to the release.
The contract includes rehabilitation to the concrete pavement on I-40 at Exit 44 and separating the off-ramp into Exit 44A and Exit 44B — one for traffic heading east on Patton Avenue and another for traffic heading west on Smokey Park Highway, the news release said. There will also be widening and upgrades made to the interchange from I-40 East to I-26 East.
Construction may start as early as late August. The contract calls for completion in fall 2028. Once crews are ready to begin, motorists will begin seeing lane reductions and traffic shifts in that area.
The third contract, for the western section of the connector, the stretch from I-26 to Haywood Road and improvements to Brevard and Amboy roads, is scheduled to go out for bidding in 2025.
Once the three sections are completed, the I-26 Connector will be a median-divided freeway, accessible only by interchanges.