Jeremy Stroud

N.C. 11 was last repaved in 1997, said Jeremy Stroud, an assistant resident engineer with the DOT's Division 2 construction office in Greenville.

Stroud explained Friday that staff members of the Department's Pavement Management Unit survey all state roads every two years and rate them based on their condition.

The rating scale ranges from 100-0.The 14.9-mile section of N.C. 11 in Pitt County has a 75 rating, and the rating of the 9.9.-mile section in Lenoir ranges from 75 to 45, Stroud said.

"You really want to take care of your problems before they reach the 50 grade," he said.Highways are not repaved at regular intervals, but projects are designated based on the two-year survey and conditions compared with other North Carolina roads.Those in the worst shape receive priority, Stroud said.

The N.C. 11 section targeted for repairs in Lenoir runs between Kinston and the Pitt County line.The Pitt County section runs from the Lenoir County line to the beginning of N.C .903 in Winterville, and from the Tar River south to the highway's intersection with N.C. 903.

Stroud said he could not state exactly where the worst sections of N.C. 11 were without looking at the highway itself, but said the asphalt around intersections with traffic lights degrades faster than the rest of the road because vehicles sitting stopped at a red light put more stress on the road than when just driving over it.

"Traffic will be able to travel east and west on Fire Tower but you won't be able to turn on Corey Road or off of Corey Road," Jeremy Stroud, assistant resident engineer for the state Department of Transportation's local office, said in the release.
...
A delay also was created during the installation of a pole to support a signal light arm at the northeast corner of Fire Tower and Memorial Drive, Stroud said. There are water, gas and sewer lines at that location and it turned out the original design for installing the support pole didn't work, he said. With the new design recently approved, it will take eight to 12 weeks to manufacture the pole and install it.

Stroud said the section of Fire Tower from Memorial to Evans Street will open first, followed by the span from Evans to Corey Road.