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By Mike Barnhardt

Enterprise Record

The roundabout on Wilkesboro Street in Mocksville will be finished sometime late this year.

N.C. Department of Transportation officials brought the news to county commissioners at a special meeting last week.

Commissioners questioned Pat Ivey, division engineer, and Scott Jones, district engineer for the DOT about why the Wilkesboro Street roundabout was taking months to complete, when one at I-40 and Farmington Road was constructed in a couple of weeks.

The answer: N.C. DOT crews built the roundabout on Farmington Road; Country Boy Landscaping was contracted to construct the one on Wilkesboro Street.

“We understand it’s a concern of yours,” Jones said. “It’s a concern of ours, too.”

Part of the Wilkesboro Street delay, he said, was that it included right of ways and relocation of utilities such as water and sewer; neither of which was a concern at Farmington Road.

They, too, were baffled at the delay on Wilkesboro Street.

The company was under contract to complete the $2.5 million project by the end of August, and could face fines for the delays.

Orange barrels

on the way

The two engineers gave updates on other Davie projects, from replacing the US 601 bridge over I-40 in Mocksville to a new interchance from Baltimore Road to I-40.

• A new roundabout at US 158 and Farmington Road is likely to be constructed – by the DOT – next summer.

• A dedicated right turn lane from NC 801 onto US 158 in Bermuda Run should be completed later this month.

• Plans are being made for adding lanes and a median to US 601 from Madison Road to Cana Road in Mocksville. The project is scheduled for construction in 2028, and will include a new bridge over I-40.

• Construction of the extension of Baltimore Road to I-40 is scheduled to begin in 2025. The $30 million project, which will include additional lanes at the intersection, will take three years to construct. The new road to I-40 will not be limited access, although the topography (The land is lower nearer the interstate.) could limit where development occurs, Ivey said.

The DOT engineers also presented a list of Davie projects not yet on the construction schedule.

• Widening US 158 from Baltimore Road to NC 801 to three lanes (center turn lane) with curb and gutters, bike lanes and sidewalks, and additional turn lanes at US 158/NC 801.

• Widening Farmington Road to three lanes (center turn lane) from I-40 to Pudding Ridge Road, with paved shoulders.

• Widening NC 801 to multi-lanes with bike lanes and sidewalks from Oak Valley Boulevard to US 158.

• Widening of NC 801 to three lanes with bike lanes and sidewalks from Yadkin Valley Road to Redland Road.

• Updating the NC 801/US 158 intersection, including accommodations for cyclists and pedestrians.

• Constructing sidewalks on the north side of Yadkinville Road/Wilkesboro St./Meroney St. in Mocksville.

• Constructing a sidewalk on the west side of US 601 South in Mocksville from Rollingwood Drive to S. Salisbury St.

Ivey said the US 64 bypass around Mocksville is no longer on the radar.

He praised local crews for keeping Davie roads safe, and also thanked the state legislature for helping the department get back on track. The DOT has 23 employees in Davie County, responsible for the upkeep of 521 road miles and 57 bridges.

The department of transportation has traditionally been funded by mostly taxes on vehicle gasoline. That took a hit during the pandemic when people drove less, and continues to be a model that won’t work because more and more electric vehicles are on the road, and the others get better gas mileage.

“We’ve got to find a better way to fund transportation.”