JAMES CITY – The upgrade of a 5-mile section of U.S. 70 in Craven County has come with some unique challenges due to the site’s proximity to the Neuse River, existing railroad bed, and sprawling airport. Poor soil conditions in the area made traditional fill materials less viable, requiring innovative solutions to ensure timely construction.
“We were going to have such a degree of settlement that it was going to be hard to overcome. In some situations, we were looking at almost 20 inches of settlement once we loaded the section,” said Deputy Division 2 Engineer Cadmus Capehart.
The team looked at several options for building on the existing highway footprint and concluded lightweight cellular concrete was the best material for the job.
“With a traditional fill material that the department would use, we would have 280 days just in settlement time. This lightweight cellular concrete that we’re using actually reduces the settlement to about 90 days,” said Wendi Johnson, Resident Engineer.
Lightweight cellular concrete is a mix of cement, water and a foaming agent. While NCDOT has worked with it before, the James City project is the largest scale thus far. And because it can be mixed on site, the number of trucks to the project site will be cut by about 20,000 loads, saving money and reducing congestion through the corridor.
Area motorists are looking forward to the highway’s final completion date – expected some time in 2028!
