A short, new road in Clayton could have a big impact on traffic through town
Passing through Clayton on N.C. 42 means taking a 1.5-mile jog on U.S. 70, arguably the most congested road in town.
Now the N.C. Department of Transportation is planning to build a new road that will bypass that bottleneck and shorten the trip between the east and west sides of town.
The Ranch Road Extension will connect the eastern leg of N.C. 42 with Little Creek Church Road, creating a direct link to the Ranch Road interchange on the Clayton Bypass. The half-mile road was a priority for the town, which asked the state to build it.
“Traffic congestion remains one of the top concerns of our residents, and this project is one of those rare projects that you can say will truly benefit everyone,” Adam Lindsay, the town manager, said in a written statement. “The Clayton Chamber of Commerce was already lining up support, local industry was behind this, and local residents will see the benefits because it is going to relieve some of their traffic concerns.”
Financing the new road
NCDOT expects the road will cost $8.4 million to build and that it qualifies for a federal program that helps finance local road projects. That program requires that 20% of the money come from a local source, usually the local government behind the project, according to NCDOT.
In this case, Clayton went to its state House member, Rep. Donna White, to see if she could get the nearly $1.7 million local match from the General Assembly. According to town officials, White, a Republican, persuaded House Speaker Tim Moore to support the project and work with Senate leader Phil Berger to get the money.
In November, Moore and Berger asked NCDOT to appropriate the money from a contingency fund that the legislature can draw on to finance road projects.
White noted that the road will give Caterpillar, Grifols and other businesses along N.C. 42 and U.S. 70 another route to the bypass, which will someday become Interstate 42.
“One of my priorities is to ensure the success of our local economy, and this extension will improve the delivery demands and truck routing for these large manufacturers — giving them more direct, faster routes,” White said in a written statement. “And for families, I hope it means getting where they need to go is a little easier as the western part of Johnston County continues to grow.”
The town also says the new road will shorten the response time from fire station No. 2 to areas south of U.S. 70 and will provide a detour route when the state begins widening N.C. 42 west of town, starting in 2025.
Designing the new road
NCDOT is still working on its designs for Ranch Road Extension, but it will likely begin as a four-lane road at U.S. 70, on what is now Rose Street, and then taper to two lanes beyond Tulip Street. It will end at Little Creek Church Road, in a three-way intersection that initially may only have stop signs, said Matt Clarke, NCDOT’s project development engineer for the division that includes Johnston County. Clarke said depending on traffic, the state may decide to install traffic signals there, possibly after the road opens.
Clarke said the existing intersection of Ranch and Little Creek Church roads will be redesigned, to improve the flow of traffic between the town and the bypass interchange. He said once NCDOT refines its plans they will be presented at a public meeting, probably late this summer or in the fall.
Clarke said it’s not clear yet when construction would begin but said it’s not likely to start before 2021.
