North Carolina

Business is booming along future I-74 in southeast North Carolina. What’s next for upgrades? | Robesonian

Published

12 months ago

August 19, 2023

Business is booming along future I-74 in southeast North Carolina. What’s next for upgrades? | Robesonian

LUMBERTON — At the Southeast Crossroads Industrial Park in Lumberton, the sounds of traffic whizzing by on U.S. 74 are drowned out by the steady clang of excavators and cranes.

Sixty miles to the east along the highway, another business center, International Logistics Park, is expanding its warehouse space at the border of Columbus and Brunswick counties.

And to the west, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and other fast-food restaurants have breathed new life into the Scotland County town of Laurinburg – an area that has seen lots of business growth in recent years.

Economic development officials say good things are happening along U.S. 74, the main east-west corridor along North Carolina’s southern border. As the N.C. Department of Transportation continues to upgrade the highway to turn it into an interstate, some say more manufacturing companies will want to take advantage of the easy access to Wilmington and Charlotte.

“There are some companies and businesses that if you don’t have an interstate in your community, you’re not even on their radar,” NCDOT spokesman Andrew Barksdale said.

Robeson County has a distinct advantage: In Lumberton, Interstate 95 crosses a stretch of 74 that is already designated as an interstate. The 215-acre Southeast Crossroads Industrial Park opened at the interchange two months ago and houses a distribution center for Zurn Elkay Water Solutions, the largest manufacturer of stainless steel sinks in the country. The company has created between 80 and 90 jobs.

Space is available for more tenants.

“Companies looking to come to this area specifically choose Robeson County and our neighboring counties because of our great highway systems,” said Channing Jones, Robeson’s economic development director. “The more we invest in those, the better.”

Jones said that’s especially true for manufacturing companies.

In Robeson and Scotland counties, manufacturing is the largest industry, employing over 15 percent of the workforce ages 16 and older.

Columbus County Economic Development Director Gary Lanier said there’s plenty of demand at the International Logistics Park. The park currently leases space to Lowe’s, Tri-Tech Forensics of Brunswick County and Precision Swiss of California.

“It was already fully leased before the roof was finished,” Lanier said.

Cameron Management, the developer of the business park, plans to invest $15 million to nearly double the warehouse space, the Border Belt Independent reported earlier this year.

Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties are designated by the state as Tier 1, or economically distressed. That means they can benefit from state funding to help with economic development.

But it will be years before the entire stretch of 74 through the Border Belt becomes an interstate.

In North Carolina, the plan is for Interstate 74 to run from the coast to near Hamlet in Richmond County. From there, it would turn north to the Virginia border.

Barksdale said more upgrades along the route will improve driver safety. In the Border Belt, many of the intersections currently under construction require drivers to come to a complete stop before merging onto the four-lane highway where speed limits can reach 60 mph.

“If there’s a gap in both directions, they just gun it and hope they don’t hit anybody,” Barksdale said.

Highway upgrades are currently underway at these locations:

In Columbus County, work began in 2021 to upgrade the intersection of U.S. 74 and Old Boardman Road to an interchange. The expected cost is $16.2 million, and work is set to be completed by fall 2024.

Also in Columbus County, construction began last year to convert the U.S. 74/Chauncey Town Road intersection into an interchange. The nearby Old Lake Road intersection is being converted into an overpass. The expected cost of both projects is $44 million, and work is set to be completed by summer 2025.

In Robeson County, work began in April to upgrade two U.S. 74 intersections – at N.C. 72 and N.C. 130. The expected cost is $24.6 million, and work is set to be completed by summer 2026.

Work is planned at three other sites:

In Robeson County, construction will begin in 2027 to convert the Creek Road intersection to an interchange. The expected cost is $7.8 million.

Construction will begin in 2031 to upgrade U.S. 74 Business from east of Hamlet to west of Laurinburg in Scotland County. The estimated cost is $223 million.

In Columbus County, upgrades are planned from N.C. 41 to where U.S. 74 meets U.S. 76. The estimated cost is $175 million. Construction has not yet been scheduled.

Barksdale said further projects could be added in the years ahead, including a potential upgrade of U.S. 74 from west of Laurinburg to the Maxton area.

Once the route is fully upgraded, NCDOT must seek federal permission to install interstate signage.

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North Carolina

Tropical Storm Debby expected to bring rainfall to Virginia & North Carolina

Published

4 hours ago

August 3, 2024

Press Room

Tropical Storm Debby expected to bring rainfall to Virginia & North Carolina

Tropical Storm Debby already has parts of Florida under tropical storm warnings. The Florida Big Bend is currently under a Hurricane Warning. Debby is forecast to briefly strengthen into a category 1 hurricane as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico where water temperatures are near 90 degrees.

As it continues its path over land it is expected to dial back to tropical storm strength as it reaches the Carolinas mid to late next week. Moderate rainfall is possible for northeast North Carolina and southern Virginia by the end of the week.

Higher amounts of rain are possible for southernmost portions of the Outer Banks but generally models show 2-4 inches for northeast North Carolina and 1-2 inches for southern Virginia through Thursday.

Stay with News 3’s First Warning Weather Team for the latest updates as the storm develops.

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North Carolina

Tropical weather update for Wilmington: What we can expect and when

Published

11 hours ago

August 3, 2024

Press Room

Tropical weather update for Wilmington: What we can expect and when

The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor a tropical depression over Cuba. It’s expected to become a tropical storm later Saturday, bringing impacts to the Carolinas around the middle of next week.

Heavy rainfall and flooding are the primary impacts expected, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

“Gusty winds are also possible, but it is too early to predict specific impacts in great detail at this time,” the weather service said.

At the same time, there is the potential for heavy rainfall and some flooding associated with front expected to stall inland this weekend.

As of 11 a.m. Saturday, the center of the tropical depression, which would be name Debby if it becomes a tropical storm, was over Cuba and moving west-northwest near 15 mph. The hurricane center said a turn toward the northwest is forecast for Saturday, followed by a northward motion on Sunday and then a slower northeastwardmotion Sunday night and Monday.

Maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph. Slow strengthening is expected throughout the day Saturday. Faster strengthening is possible Sunday, with the storm nearing hurricane strength when it reaches the Florida Gulf Coast, the hurricane center said.

STORM TRACKER: Monitor the latest tropical developments here.

Here’s a look at what we can expect in the Wilmington area, according to the latest briefing from the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

Wind

The probability of tropical storm force winds has increased, especially for the South Carolina coast. The most likely time of arrival of for northeast South Carolina is Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, and for Southeastern North Carolina is during Wednesday morning.

Rain

The potential for significant rainfall exists with 8 to 12 inches possible from near Cape Fear to portions of thenortheast South Carolina coast. Flash flooding and urban flooding are possible. Some rivers, including the North Cape Fear River and the Waccamaw River, could exceed flood stage next week.

INTERACTIVE MAP: Enter your address to see hurricanes, tropical storms that have passed nearby

Marine impacts

Rough surf, including dangerous rip currents, and hazardous marine conditions are expected this weekend and will persist into the upcoming week.

Are you prepared for a hurricane?

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Even if this system won’t pose a threat to the NC coast, it’s never too early to be prepared.

GET READY: Are you prepared for a hurricane? Here’s what to know if you live in the Wilmington area.

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North Carolina

Tropical Depression Four forms on its way to the Gulf of Mexico

Published

18 hours ago

August 3, 2024

Press Room

Tropical Depression Four forms on its way to the Gulf of Mexico

As of the 5 AM update Friday, Tropical Depression Four has formed. Areas along the East Coast including North Carolina need to continue monitoring this system. Winds are at 30 MPH and gusts are up to 40 MPH. The pressure dropped to 1009 mb and is moving to the west at 16 mph. TD 4 is expected to become Tropical Storm Debby over the weekend. Tuesday night and Wednesday are First Alert Weather Days due to the threat to ENC from this system but we may need to adjust the timing as we get closer.

The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center continues to show ENC in the cone of uncertainty.(WITN)

It’ll move slowly before escaping to the north next week. As it moves up the East Coast, there’s a lot more uncertainty about the track and threats. We expect the track of this system to change through the weekend and even into next week. If ENC sees impacts from this system, they’d likely come mid-week. The longer this system stays over land, the weaker it’ll be. It’ll have the chance to strengthen if it moves back over open water, especially if it moves over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.

Storms are possible Saturday through Monday as a developing tropical system gets closer.(WITN)

The speed of this system is just as important as the strength. The quicker it moves through, the less rain piles up. If it slows down or stalls, higher rainfall amounts would be expected. Our river levels have dropped a bit since July’s wet weather, but levels are still higher than what you’d find in a typical August.