WOOTEN EXPANDS NORTH CAROLINA’S I-95
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BY RONALD BROCK
Serving as the main connection for major destinations along the Eastern Seaboard, I-95 is an important transportation corridor for freight trucks and leisure travelers alike. The 18-mile stretch between the North Carolina cities of Dunn and Fayetteville, alone, sees an average daily traffic volume of 60,000 vehicles. Adding complications for this busy section of I-95 is the fact that it hasn’t seen major upgrades in five decades. In anticipation of steady traffic increases in the area, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) hired the team at S.T. Wooten, Wilson, as the lead contractor for a $400 million design-build job to widen the stretch and bring it up to modern-day engineering standards.
EXPANSIVE ROADMAP
S.T. Wooten is working with the NCDOT to add two lanes in both directions of I-95 between exits 55 and 72, bringing it to eight total lanes. The northern 3-mile stretch of the project, which was designed by the NCDOT, began construction between fall 2019 and spring 2020. Together with design firm partner RK&K Engineering, S.T. Wooten laid out the remaining 15 miles of the project, which is now underway. In total, it will require approximately 1.4 million tons of asphalt and 50,000 cubic yards of concrete to complete the additional lanes for this job. To construct the project, crews are placing 12 inches of Class IV aggregate (870,000 tons) in conjunction with a geosynthetic fabric to stabilize the subgrade, 10 inches of aggregate base course (690,000 tons), and 12.5 inches of asphalt (1.4 million tons) to construct the new lanes along with a minimum of 6 inches of asphalt overlay on the existing travel lanes. Along with these materials there is also 50,000 cubic yards of concrete required for bridge construction, box culverts, concrete barrier rail, and curb and gutter. There are two nearby plants providing asphalt for this project. Roughly 80,000 tons have come from S.T. Wooten’s Clayton plant, which is situated near the I-40/NC-42 interchange. Most of the remaining asphalt will come from another S.T. Wooten plant in 44 | MARCH/APRIL 2022
The S.T. Wooten team anticipates its new Intrame plant located in Benson will provide about 1.3 million tons of asphalt for the I-95 widening project. Photos courtesy of Largemouth PR
Benson, which was recently assembled. Manufactured by Intrame, this new plant includes some fresh design features such as a single wagon silo system that is helping increase efficiency in production. Twelve bridges are also being built or replaced as part of the I-95 upgrades. Along with the installation of roundabouts to eliminate stop conditions at some interchanges, a new ramp will be added to connect I-95 North to NC-295 South.
NAVIGATING ROADBLOCKS
Traffic volumes have been the biggest challenge for crews in the I-95 work zone due to consistent vehicle travel during all hours of the day. Like S.T. Wooten’s nearby project on I-40 in Raleigh, there are several haul-
ing and lane closure restrictions to keep in mind. Project managers have had to be strategic about the schedule to keep construction moving forward with the least disturbance for drivers. While nightwork schedules allow crews to complete certain activities when there are fewer people on the road, the project’s design helps support general traffic control in the work zone. Broken up into four major project phases, vehicles have been routed through middle lanes in the early phases of construction and then will move to the outside lanes during the final phases to avoid complete shutdowns of the interstate. Wet weather has been another issue for crews to overcome—especially being in the sandhills region where water often builds and settles. Waiting for rainwater to subside can
