Those of us lucky enough to flee to the coast for the weekend seek a retreat from the stress and chaos of an overstuffed work week.

Anyone unlucky enough to try to flee to the coast via U.S. 70 on a Friday afternoon knows how much more stress you can add to your week inching along in that traffic. Maybe your best-case scenario involves positioning your car behind the Honda Odyssey screening a Pixar movie marathon to keep the "Are we there yet?" screaming inside its cabin to a minimum.

But even then, a blatantly unscientific survey by the Road Worrier's brain trust indicates your free viewing of "Ratatouille" or "The Incredibles" through the minivan's rear window won't make the time go by any faster.

That explains why Raleigh retiree Allen Holleman and other navigators of the clogged routes are counting the days until a new U.S. 70 bypass opens. The state Department of Transportation said the Clayton Bypass, which will enter Interstate 40 less than four miles southeast of the old interchange, could open as early as next month.

"I literally have been stuck two miles outside of Clayton with the traffic not moving," said Holleman, who heads most weekends with his wife to their house on the lower Neuse River. "When you get caught in between those stoplights, there's nothing you can do. You're stuck."

Work crews need to complete pavement markings, install milled rumble strips and finish the shoulders to wrap up the project, according to Wendi O. Johnson, the DOT division construction engineer for Johnston and five other counties.

The 10.7-mile project is coming in about a year ahead of schedule. Credit the drought for a lack of weather-related delays, but Johnson said the contractor's decision to build the new four-lane highway's 22 new bridges first helped speed up the time required for the earth-moving portion of the job.

Even with the bypass around the south side of Clayton, however, traffic crunches will not be eliminated. A congested four-lane stretch of I-40 still could get thousands of commuters coming off the bypass, the DOT has acknowledged.

"I think it will make a huge impact obviously to the people traveling on 70 business, easing congestion along that stretch," Holleman said of the bypass. "But we are anticipating some morning congestion on I-40 at the new interchange location."

DOT will post electronic signs to warn drivers on congested mornings how long the drive will take on the bypass versus on the old U.S. 70 business route.

Either way, Holleman and other frequent travelers of that corridor have their own detour routes through Clayton, not that they're eager to share them.

Traffic is bad enough already, Holleman said.