Recently, American infrastructure group Balfour Beatty won a $ 203 million design-build contract from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for the US Highway 70 improvement project. The project is expected to cost US $ 327.5 million and is designed to improve traffic conditions from the 5.1-mile east of Thurman Road to the New Zealand River Bridge in James City, Craven County, USA.

Under the terms of the contract, Balfour Beatty will upgrade U.S. Highway 70 to an interstate standard, which is one of the major east-west corridors across eastern North Carolina and is expected to boost the region's economic development.

According to NCDOT data, U.S. Route 70 is a port in Morehead City, establishing an important link between the military bases at Havelock and Goldsboro and Kingston's Global Transportation Park.

Balfour Beatty Mark Johnnie, vice president of civil engineering operations and Southeast Regional Manager for the United States, said: "We are honored to be NCDOT's architectural partner again. The design and construction expertise of the Southeast Regional team, Being able to execute the structure and the extent of the roadway on its own makes this US Highway 70 improvement project a strategic choice. "

Construction of the project is scheduled to begin in early 2021 and complete in 2023. After evaluation, NCDOT has identified U.S. Highway 70 as one of three important corridors, and the improvement will help economic development in eastern North Carolina. Editor / Zhao Yongjing