A 9.4-mile stretch of Interstate 40 between Durham and Wake counties is about to undergo a two-year comprehensive rehabilitation aimed at strengthening the pavement structure, not just resurfacing the road. The North Carolina Department of Transportation awarded a $21 million contract to Charlotte-based Blythe Construction Inc. for the job, with work set to begin later this fall and continue until substantial completion in late 2028.
The project covers the section of I-40 running from east of I-885 in Durham County to Wade Avenue in Wake County, according to NCDOT, which officially announced the award Thursday. CBS17.com reported that the contract funds a comprehensive roadway rehabilitation treatment designed to strengthen the pavement structure and extend the road's service life well beyond what a standard resurfacing job would provide.
This isn't just another repaving job. The contract calls for comprehensive roadway rehabilitation intended to strengthen the pavement structure and extend the road's service life.
The Corridor's Regional Role
The Triangle Business Journal describes I-40 as a backbone of the Triangle's transportation web.
The project is a structural rehabilitation intended to strengthen the pavement, rather than a cosmetic fix.
A Familiar Contractor With a Full Plate
Blythe Construction, founded in 1921 and now a subsidiary of Eurovia, the heavy civil construction arm of French infrastructure giant VINCI Construction, operates asphalt plants and major highway projects across North and South Carolina. The company is no stranger to high-stakes NCDOT work: in August, the agency awarded Blythe a separate $32 million emergency contract to rebuild a 1.1-mile section of U.S. 176 in Polk County that was destroyed by flooding from Hurricane Helene, according to the Tryon Daily Bulletin. That project involves complex retaining structures above the North Pacolet River gorge.
Blythe also picked up a $3.8 million Wake County road resurfacing contract from NCDOT last November, as Hoodline previously reported, making this the latest in a string of state contracts the company has landed in recent months.
Building on a History of Major Triangle Overhauls
This isn't the first time NCDOT has had to go deep on I-40 in the Triangle. Between 2013 and 2018, the agency executed the Fortify project, a multi-hundred-million-dollar reconstruction of I-40 and I-440 in Wake County that addressed crumbling pavement and added connector lanes along an 11.5-mile stretch south of Raleigh, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
The new 9.4-mile rehabilitation also links into a broader wave of I-40 upgrades across the region, with major projects underway or in the works, according to the Triangle Business Journal.
What's Next for the Corridor Long-Term
The corridor also serves as a backbone for regional transit, with NCDOT studies noting it is being evaluated for expanded Bus-on-Shoulder System operations, which would let commuter buses use the shoulder during heavy congestion.
For now, the immediate focus is the construction itself, with the fall 2026 start date approaching and substantial completion not expected until late 2028. Specific lane closure schedules and night work restrictions for the two-year build have not yet been detailed.
